Woman & Child Part 1
by TheSovereigntyofReality
Summary: 1 of 5. Rewrite of Season 1. Whenever he goes to the Shadow Realm, Yami finds assistance and a small boy in gold. Who are these people? What does the woman know about him? And who is this child? Warning: there are four implied pairings.
1. The Heart of the Cards

DISCLAIMER: If you recognise it from somewhere else, it isn't mine.

* * *

**The Heart of the Cards**

_Long ago, when the pyramids were still young, Egyptian Kings played games of great and terrible power. But these shadow games erupted into a war that threatened to destroy the entire world. Until a brave and powerful Pharaoh locked the magic away, imprisoning it within the mystical millennium items. Now, five thousand years later, a boy named Yugi unlocks the secret of the Millennium Puzzle. He is infused with ancient magical energies. For destiny has chosen him to defend the world from the return of the Shadow Games, just as the brave Pharaoh did five thousand years ago._

In the city of Domino, in a high school classroom, a group of the students stood around watching a couple of the boys play a card came. The blond one stared at the cards in his hand. He seemed to have forgotten about the other boy.

'Hey, Joey.' The boy with the tri-coloured hair finally spoke. 'Earth to Joey! Hey, are you in there? It's your move.'

Joey pressed his lips together even harder, his fingers dancing over the top of the cards. A brunette girl with a yellow bandanna, which bore some kind of eye, snorted in amusement. Another boy, this one with pointed dark brown hair hooked Joey in a head lock with a laugh.

'Aw! Isn't he cute when he's thinking?'

'Hey, Tristan.' Joey showed the guy his cards. 'Yugi here's teaching me how to play Duel Monsters.'

Tristan pulled a face. 'Drooling Monsters?'

Joey shoved him away. 'Duel Monsters, you nimrod.'

'Shesh!' Tristan huffed.

'They've been at it for hours.' The other brunette girl there explained. 'Joey's starting to get the hang of the game, but Yugi's like an expert.'

'Okay, Yugi.' Joey threw down a card. 'It's time to duel!'

The other girl went on. 'See, each monster has an attack number and a defence number. First person to eliminate their opponent's life points wins the duel.'

'Pretty good move, huh, Yugi?' Joey gloated.

'Yup.' Yugi smiled and nodded. 'Pretty good move.' He threw down his own card. 'But not good enough.' His monster had nearly twice the attack power of Joey's.

Joey jumped. 'What?' He looked up at him. 'Thanks a lot! A card that powerful totally wipes me out.'

Tristan laughed. 'Whoa! You stink at this game, Joey.'

Behind them, the school snob glanced up with a smirk. The bandanna girl turned her head at the same time and raised an eyebrow, the friendliness gone from her face. He sneered and went back to his book.

'Nah, you did fine, Joey,' Yugi said. 'I just have better cards. See, my grandpa owns a game shop and I get all my best cards from him.'

Joey was on his feet and eager. 'Your own game shop? What are we waiting for? Let's go!'

'All right,' Yugi said. 'Maybe I can even get my grandpa to show us this super-rare card he's got.'

The school snob looked up again, this time in interest. But this time Bandanna Girl did not turn around. Instead, she watched Yugi, Joey, Tristan and the other brunette girl, Téa, walk out of the classroom. She went to her desk and started packing her things into her school bag.

As Bandanna Girl walked out of the classroom herself, sometime after the school snob left, she pulled a cell phone out of her bag. A few rings before it was answered. 'It's Sharee. Look, I need you to do me a favour. For the next twelve hours, monitor any deal and orders that Seto Kaiba does. Because he's just gone to check out a super-rare card and if he wants it…well, I somehow really doubt that the owner will agree to hand it over…you know, willingly. Okay, thanks.'

Sharee then slowed her walk. She then turned and began walking home. Deciding to take the scenic route, due to the fact that she may have to change direction, Sharee ended up sitting on the edge of the pond in the park. She was watching the sun set and smiled at the golden glow on the water.

The cell phone rang and Sharee pulled it out. 'Hel…he did?' She checked her watch. 'Not tonight? Tomorrow.' She slumped back. 'Well, in that case…I suppose I can always tell Yugi beforehand. Good point. I usually only see him in class, but I'll see what I can do.'

Sharee got up and headed home. The next day she knew she would have to find a way to tell Yugi his grandpa was in danger, but every time an opportunity presented itself Kaiba was within listening distance. That wasn't the way that Sharee had been taught. And then they all got out of the school before she did.

Sharee was racing across the city. She checked her watch as she ran. Yugi would almost be home at that moment. She pulled her cell phone out of her bag as she went. As she was about to begin dialling, it rang.

'What?' Sharee nearly yelled into the receiver. '_Virtual_ _simulator_? He's an old man!' She could see KaibaCorp in front of her and bolted up into the building. 'Where am I going? Right. Thanks.' Sharee hung up and ran to the elevator. She hit the button and was in almost as soon as the doors opened.

'Right.' She started dialling and pressed the phone to her ear. It rang…and rang…and rang. 'Come on, come on, come on, Yugi. Pick…' There was the click.

'Hello? Game shop.'

'Yugi? It's Sharee Pertinicle.'

'Oh, yeah. What do you need?'

'Kaiba didn't like getting "no" for an answer,' Sharee said. 'He hijacked your grandpa earlier today. In fact, I expect that's Kaiba trying to get through right now.' She knew they could both here the tell-tale beeping of an incoming call. 'I'm already at KaibaCorp. You better get down here.' She hung up as the doors slid open and she was presented with an empty room, save the sight of the old Mr. Moto collapsed on the floor.

_**That conceited little…**_

_I couldn't agree more._

Yugi led Joey, Tristan and Téa into the building and then into the elevator. Moments later it stopped and the doors opened. Sharee Pertinicle was there, leaning over Yugi's badly injured grandfather. Téa cried out in shock.

Sharee stood up and stepped aside and Yugi ran over to him. 'Grandpa! Grandpa, are you okay?'

Sharee just shook her head.

His grandfather lifted his head. 'Yugi, I failed. I tried to teach that boy Kaiba a lesson about the Heart of the Cards but I lost.' He cried out in pain and slumped.

'Grandpa!'

The doors at the other end of the room opened. Kaiba stood there. 'How's the old man feeling, hmm?'

'Kaiba!' Joey clenched his fist. 'You sleaze! What have you done to him?'

'We had a duel, that's all,' Kaiba said. 'With each of us putting up our most valuable card as the prize.'

Sharee glared. 'Yeah, but not an ordinary duel, I'll bet.'

Kaiba shrugged nonchalantly. 'I guess playing against a champion like myself was just too much stimulation for the old fool.'

Téa pointed at him accusingly. 'Kaiba, you should be ashamed of yourself!'

'It was fair. And look at the sweet prize I won.' Kaiba pulled the Blue Eyes White Dragon card out of his pocket. He tore it in half.

His grandfather, Téa, Tristan and Joey gasped. Sharee sucked her breath in through her teeth.

'Grandpa's most treasured card!' Yugi's words were shaky.

'Yes,' Kaiba said. 'The Blue Eyes White Dragon is a rare and powerful card. And this one will never be used against me.'

'That still doesn't make sense!' Sharee glared at him. 'You go to all this trouble, coercing an aged man into a duel that did damage to his health, all for that card and then you just _tear_ _it_ _up_? Are you insane?'

'My Blue Eyes White Dragon…' His grandfather tried to reach for the torn card. 'My treasure…'

'Grandpa, hold on!' Yugi looked up at Kaiba, glaring. 'How could you do such a thing?'

'Yugi, here.' His grandfather held his deck out to him. 'Take this.'

'Huh?' Yugi looked down at him. 'Grandpa…'

'I built this deck,' he said. 'I put my soul in these cards. And I taught you everything I know, Yugi. Take them. Take my cards and teach him respect. Teach Kaiba respect for the Heart of the Cards, Yugi.'

'But, grandpa, you need help,' Yugi said. 'I have to get you to a doctor!'

'Sounds like an excuse.' Kaiba stepped down the stairs. 'Your friends can care for your grandfather, while you and I duel. Unless you're afraid.'

Yugi glared at Kaiba, torn. On one hand, he wanted to get up and show this guy what Duel Monsters was really all about, but on the other he felt like looking after his grandpa was his responsibility. Sharee had already taken part of that from here and he owned her for that.

'Take him, Yugi!'

Yugi turned around and looked at Joey.

'We can take care of your grandpa while you take care of Creepy Kaiba,' Joey said. 'Teach that rich, spoiled brat what a real duel's all about.'

Téa was in complete agreement. 'For your grandpa, Yugi!'

'I don't know,' Yugi said.

'Trust me,' Joey said. 'You're like the best player I've ever seen and you've got the Millennium Puzzle.'

'That's a big one,' Sharee agreed. 'With that thing, Kaiba's chances of beating you are next to non-existent!'

'You can do this, Yugi!' Joey insisted. 'I know you can.'

'We all do,' Tea said.

They were right. Yugi nodded and turned back around, taking the deck from his grandfather. 'Okay, grandpa. I'll do it.'

'I know you will, my boy.'

Téa pulled a black permanent marker out of her skirt pocket. 'Everyone, put your hands together.' The five of them did and Tea drew a symbol on the backs of their hands. 'And I'll mark us with a special sign.'

The boys and Sharee lifted their hands and looked at it.

'What gives, Téa?' Joey asked.

Téa smiled and explained. 'It's a symbol of our friendship so when Yugi's duelling, no matter how tough it gets, he'll know that he's not alone. We're all right there with him!'

They split off after that. Joey, Téa and Tristan took Yugi's grandpa outside. Sharee handed them her cell phone before they went so they could call the ambulance. She came with Yugi into the Duelling area. Once the two combatants were on the platforms and being shifted into position, Kaiba began gloating.

'I designed this virtual stadium myself. Impressive, hmm? I think you'll agree it adds a bit more life to the game. We each begin with two thousand live points. First player to hit zero loses.' He focused on his control panel. 'Are you ready to play, runt?'

'Play time is over, Kaiba!' Yugi spoke with far more confidence than he had before.

Kaiba looked up and Yugi felt it happening. The words spilled from his lips in a loud yell that no one ever seemed to hear.

'YU-GI-OHHHH!'

His vision went white and he felt a warm pressure against his mind. When this had first begun, Yugi's mind had blanked out the experience. Why, he still didn't know, but he felt as though someone else slipped into his body. It was almost like a divine guide. He always seemed to get taller and his voice changed when this happened.

Maybe there was another person inside of him though. But this someone had a darker personality. His…Yami, he supposed.

Yami's vision returned in time to see Kaiba draw back with a, 'What the…?'

'Now, Kaiba.' He spoke in a deeper, stronger voice. 'Prepare yourself, because it's time to duel.'

Kaiba quickly recovered himself and both of them drew five cards. Yami could see he had decided whatever he thought he saw was just a figment of his imagination. _Oh, don't you wish, Kaiba. Don't you wish._

'Virtual systems ready,' Kaiba said. 'So let's begin.' He drew a card and laid it down on the field. 'I attack with the mighty Hitopsumi Giant.' The field between them began to glow. 'Brace yourself, Yugi. You've never duelled like this before.'

The monster took shape on the field.

'Ah.' Yami took a step back. At the same time, something triggered in his buried memories. This was normal, despite the fact that he couldn't recall ever seeing it. 'He's brought the monster on the card to life.'

'It's my virtual simulator,' Kaiba said. 'It creates life-like holograms of every duel monster.'

In the space of less than a second, Yami found the definition for "hologram" in Yugi's mind: an artificial projection creating a three-dimensional image. It was a relatively new development in technology. An aged man would be unprepared for such a thing. 'So this is how you beat my grandfather.' Better for Kaiba to think he truly was Yugi Moto. He drew a card. 'Well, now it's my turn.' He laid the card down. 'I call on the Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress!'

The dragon took form opposite the Hitopsumi Giant.

'Wha...? Monsters?' Joey cried in surprise from below. 'Real monsters?'

'Holograms, Joey.' That should have been Sharee.

A glance down and Yami remembered because of what he saw. Instead of Sharee's general pose of leaning or sitting on the barrier with her arms folded across her chest and her legs crossed, she was standing with her legs spaced at shoulder width and her hands folded behind her back.

Shamee, through a loyalty to him, had refused to allow him to go through this task – of which had been removed from his memory – alone. But she too required a vessel. And that, obviously, was Sharee Pertinicle. That was why she had looked out for Yugi's grandfather.

They were two of the same.

The Hitopsumi Giant charged forward.

'Fireball attack!' Yami ordered.

The Winged Dragon spat fire, destroying Kaiba's monster. Kaiba shielded his face from the light and the heat as his life points dropped to 1800. Yami noticed, on the opposite side, a boy of about twelve years ran over.

'Big brother!' he called to Kaiba. 'Are you all right?'

Yami glanced at Shamee. She was looking at the boy in mild interest as Joey cheered beside her. Ah. So Kaiba did care about somebody beyond himself. It would be only his younger brother though. Still, it was better than nothing. It would seem Seto Kaiba was not the lost cause he appeared to be.

Kaiba drew another card. 'Huh. Well-played, Yugi. For a beginner. But how will you deal with this.' He threw that card down and another monster took form with a chilling laugh.

Yami frowned in confusion. 'Soggy, the Dark Clown? But that card has hardly any attack strength.'

'True, your Winged Dragon's attack is 1400 while my Dark Clown's is only six hundred, but if I combine it with this card…' Kaiba laid another card down.

Now it made sense. 'A magic card.'

'Exactly,' Kaiba said. 'The negative energy generator. It multiplies my monster's attack by three. Dark Clown attack with Dark Light!'

The Dark Clown threw an attack and the Winged Dragon was destroyed. Yugi's life points dropped to 1600 as Kaiba gloated.

'As you can see, combining cards can be very effective.'

Shamee scoffed loudly from where she stood.

Yami gritted his teeth and listened to Yugi's thoughts. _He's good. He knows every aspect of this game._ Yami reached down for the deck and pressed his fingers to it. _But my grandpa put all his gaming knowledge, his whole heart, into assembling this deck._ A drawback of the situation he was in was that his actions, while still his own, were still synced to Yugi's thoughts while the boy was still somewhat oblivious to his presence. He drew another card. _I have to believe it that holds some secret strategy._

The card he drew was vaguely familiar to Yami. It was a shackled leg…something…it was something…whatever it was, Yugi didn't seem to think of that. _This card is useless. I can't beat the Dark Clown with this._ Well, that was true. _I'll have to use a different monster in defence mode. The monster will be sacrificed, but my overall life points will be saved._ He laid the monster face-down. The Dark Clown, upon Kaiba's command, attacked and destroyed the monster.

'Hang in there, Yugi!' Joey called, slamming his fists down on the barrier.

Monster after monster after monster fell to Soggy the Dark Clown. Kaiba laughed and Yami ground his teeth as this happened. There had to be a way to get through this duel monster.

Kaiba seemed to like gloating. 'You're not fairing any better than the old man did, Yugi. Your deck is just as weak and feeble as your grandfather.'

'My grandpa is a great man and a better duellist than you'll ever be,' Yami said. 'He entrusted me with his cards and I can feel his heart in this deck.' His eyes narrowed. 'I doubt you have that kind of faith in your cards, Kaiba.'

'Wha…?' Kaiba was sufficiently stunned.

'But I believe in my grandpa's deck.' Yami drew the card. He smirked. 'And my faith rewards me with Gaia, the Fierce Knight! With a destructive power of 2300.'

Kaiba drew back. Gaia charged and skewered the Dark Clown, destroying him and dropping Kaiba's life points to 1300. That was that headache out of the way.

Joey pumped his fist into the air. 'Way to go, Yugi!'

Shamee nodded once.

'All right, Kaiba,' Yami said. 'Your move.'

'Hah!' The fool didn't even care about his monsters. 'This'll be over sooner than you think.' He drew a card. 'I call on the Blue Eyes White Dragon!'

The beast took form. Yami drew back. 'Huh? No way!'

'What?' Shamee's posture suddenly broke, her hands coming from behind her back.

'Impossible!' Joey insisted. 'We all watched Kaiba tear that card in half!'

'Surprised?' Kaiba asked. 'Did you think your grandfather was the only one to possess a Blue Eyes White Dragon?'

The Dragon attacked the Gaia was vaporised. Yami grunted as he covered his face from the light. It could've been his imagination, but he swore that he could feel heat from it too.

'Huh,' Kaiba said as Yugi's life points dropped to 900. 'Your Fierce Knight is destroyed. Faith or no faith, you will fall before my superior monsters, Yugi. Power is what this game is all about, you fool. Faith is for losers, like your pathetic grandfather. In your entire deck, there's not a single card that can stand up to a Blue Eyes White Dragon…so what hope do you have against two?' He held up a second one.

'How many of those things do you have?' Shamee demanded as the second one appeared on the field. 'Oh, what am I asking for? You can only possibly have one more!'

'Why do you say that?' Joey asked her.

'Because there's only one more in the world.'

Kaiba ignored them. 'Why don't you just admit defeat, Yugi?'

Yami felt a gentle curtesy prod at his mind and he knew it was Shamee trying to establish communication. He allowed her through.

'_Because the last time you lost, everyone did.'_

A flash of a burning city came to his mind. That wouldn't happen here, but the point was the same.

'I won't give up.' The next part was sentiments of Yugi's. 'Grandpa's counting on me.' He drew a magic card and immediately put it to use. 'Swords of Revealing Light! It stops all monsters on the field for three turns.'

'How desperate,' Kaiba remarked. 'What possible good will a three-turn delay do you?'

Yugi, it seemed, was a lot more prone to giving up than Yami was. _He's right. What do I do. I can't figure out what to do with these cards._ Neither of them could. _They're just a bunch of…pieces. How can I use them to battle an expert like Kaiba?_

'For someone claiming to have faith, you're giving up too easily, Yugi.'

The man had reached out to his grandson's mind. Yami shifted them, then he turned and allowed Yugi control of the mouth. He was just a boy, after all. He needed advice from an authoritive figure that he trusted. In the back of Yami's mind, he remembered that.

'Listen, sometimes the cards are like a puzzle,' his grandfather said. 'You have to put all the pieces in their proper place.'

'Oh! Like the Millennium Puzzle?' Yugi asked.

'Exactly,' his grandfather said. 'Each piece helps build a greater entity.' He disappeared.

Yugi reached for him. 'Grandpa!'

'Like the piece of a puzzle, Yugi,' his grandfather called. 'Remember!'

Yugi suddenly remembered something. _Puzzle? Line up the cards like a puzzle. Wait! Grandpa once said…"Duel monsters contains only one unstoppable monster: Exodia. But he can only be summoned by drawing all five special cards. A feat that, to this very day, no one has ever accomplished!"_

Kaiba's voice drew him out of his head. 'Quit your stalling, Yugi! Or you will forfeit the match.'

'I never forfeit.' Yami took control again and drew a card. It was an arm. Yugi's excitement grew. _Another piece of the puzzle!_

'Draw any card you like,' Kaiba said. 'It won't change a thing. My Dragons maybe frozen for another two turns but my new monster is under no such spell.' He threw another card down. 'The Judge Man!' The monster appeared on the field. 'With an attack power of 2200.'

The Judge Man destroyed Yami's defence.

Yami drew another card, finding it to be his favourite. He always felt a certain…strange attachment to this monster, like he was an old friend. Yugi seemed to feel something similar. _I can attack with the Dark Magician, but he won't stand a chance once Kaiba's Dragons are free of my spell._

All the same, Yami threw the card down. 'Dark Magician! Attack!'

The Dark Magician attacked and destroyed the Judge Man. Kaiba's life points fell down to 1000.

'Your Judge Man falls,' Yami said.

'Oh, a sacrifice that doesn't even faze me.' Kaiba looked down at his newly drawn card. 'And though neither Dragon can move for one more turn, my next card is…a third Blue Eyes White Dragon!'

Ancient Egyptian profanity shot through Yami's head. Though how he knew it, he had no idea. The third Dragon appeared and attacked, on Kaiba's call, destroying Yami's Dark Magician. Yami grunted in frustration and covered his face. He definitely felt the heat of the attack from that one. His life points dropped to 400.

'So, tell me, Yugi. How's your faith now?' And, back to the gloating. 'On my next turn, all three Blue Eyes White Dragons are free to attack. This game's over no matter what card you draw.'

'Don't listen, Yugi!' Joey called.

It now made sense. _Kaiba had three Blue Eyes all along. He only wanted grandpa's card so it couldn't be used against him._ And he'd torn that up out of spite. He didn't need it and he knew that, but he knew it'd hurt them to do it. _My only chance now is to assemble all the piece of Exodia. But the odds are against me._ Yami reached for the deck. _I don't think I can do this._

Yami jumped. The deck seemed to drift away. 'The deck, it senses my…' _our _'…doubt.' Yugi cried out. Yami reached back and gently guided Yugi. 'Don't loose focus, Yugi. Don't lose faith. Concentrate!'

Yugi suddenly caught sight of the mark on his hand. _Our friendship symbol!_ Modern day humans and the things they felt they needed to do to connect! It was silly – you were connected no matter where you are and you didn't need an ink mark to prove it – but he was glad for it. Yugi drew on the bond he shared with his friends. All he had to do…

'Draw your last pathetic card so I can end this, Yugi,' Kaiba said.

'My grandpa's deck has no pathetic cards, Kaiba,' Yami said. 'But it does contain…' He held up the fifth and final card. '…the Unstoppable Exodia.'

Horror, as if he was being attacked by a real monster, crossed Kaiba's face. 'Impossible!'

'I've assembled all five special cards,' Yami said as the Forbidden One began to emerge. 'All five piece of the puzzle!'

'Exodia!' Kaiba fell back against the railing behind him, as he stared up as the creature before him. 'It's not possible! No one's ever been able to call him!'

Exodia began building up energy in his hands. Yami remembered a state of exhaustion the last time he'd called this particular monster. He'd just wished he'd had more energy to enjoy it…where did that thought come from?

'Exodia!' Yami called. 'Obliterate!'

The Forbidden One threw the attack and Kaiba screamed as his Dragons were blown to pieces. His life points hit zero. Shamee nodded in satisfaction.

'You did it!' Joey called. 'Yugi, you won!'

Yami also heard Kaiba's younger brother say, 'This can't be! My brother never loses.'

'You play only for power, Kaiba, and that is why you lost,' Yami said. 'But if you put your heart in the game, there is nothing you can't do.'

'But…' Kaiba stared at the score. 'But how…? How could I have lost to him.'

'Kaiba.' The Millennium Eye appeared on Yami's forehead and he focused his energy. 'If you truly want to know…open your mind!' Extending his hand, he banished the dark part of Kaiba's soul into the Shadow Realm.

Kaiba fell to his knees.

'There, Kaiba,' Yami said. 'Maybe now you will begin to see.'

**Pegasus Castle**

A man in a suit stood at a door and addressed his boss. 'Mr. Pegasus, sir. Seto Kaiba, our uncontested champion. He's been defeated in a duel, sir, by someone named "Yugi".'

'Hmm.' Maximillion Pegasus looked forward and his Millennium Eye flashed. He'd long ago realised that Seto Kaiba could only be defeated by someone in possession of one of the seven Millennium Items. And the quick scan he just did showed him that this Yugi-boy did indeed have one.

Excellent.

Oh…what was this? He was, at that very point in time, walking out of KaibaCorp offices with another boy and a girl who was wearing a bandanna that also had Shadow Powers.

All three were teenagers.

The girl was saying that she wanted to warn him about Kaiba's interest in Yugi's grandfather earlier but every time there was a chance, Kaiba-boy was within earshot. She was telling him she never liked to let the enemy know that she knew what they were doing, because then they liked to change plans.

One to be cautious of.

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Whew! There's the first chapter. I'd actually like to know what you think of Sharee and Shamee so far.


	2. The Gauntlet is Thrown

DISCLAIMER: If you recognise it from somewhere else, it isn't mine.

* * *

**The Gauntlet Is Thrown**

'Joey, make a move, already!' Tristan told him.

This time he was playing against Téa. Both Yugi and Sharee were sitting on the side of the game while the rest of their friends stood around the duel. Yugi was smiling but Sharee was pulling a mildly disturbed face.

Joey laid down a card. 'Kay! Here you go, tough guy! My rock ogre's going to rock your block off!'

Téa turned a card over.

'Yeah!' Joey scoffed. 'Like that wimpy card's going to stand a chance against my rock guy! Give it up!'

'Guess I don't stand a chance unless maybe I use…' Téa put down another card. '…the Breath of Light Card.'

Joey looked at it, confused. 'Huh? Can she do that?'

'Oh, yeah,' Yugi said. 'There Breath of Light wears down rock monsters. Reduces them to rubble!'

Sharee leaned over and whispered to Yugi. 'I can't ever recall seeing Joey use a magic or a trap card. I'd be surprised if he even had any in his deck.'

Yugi frowned. That was something to think about. If Joey's deck was loaded with monster cards…it explained why he never won.

Téa grinned. 'That brings your life points down to zero, Joey. Once again, you lose and I rock!'

'You stink at this game!' Tristan announced.

Later, Yugi and Joey were out on the bars.

'Tristan's right, Yugi,' Joey said. 'I do stink. I can't win a duel monsters to save my life. What is it, Yugi? Why can't I ever win? Teach me what I'm doing wrong.'

Yugi hopped down. 'Well, let's start by checking your deck, Joey.' First thing was to find out if Sharee was right.

'Huh?' Joey dug it out of his pocket. 'Kay.'

Yugi soon found out that Sharee was completely right. Joey's deck was entirely made up of monster cards. After Yugi explained the problem, they had to get him some magic and trap cards. Hopefully his grandfather would be able to help.

Sharee sat upstairs of the game shop in the lounge room with Yugi, Joey, Tristan and Téa. The past few weeks had consisted of Grandpa Moto training Joey in Duel Monsters and sometimes Sharee came around to watch. She'd decided he was a great disciplinarian.

All of them turned their attention to the TV as the program came on.

'Good evening, duel fans, and our ten million viewers at home. And welcome to our Duel Monsters Dueldom, where tonight the Duel Monsters Regional Championship will be decided! Of the two hundred duellists that have competed in this marathon tournament, only two competitors remain standing. Put your cards together for Weevil Underwood, the Bug Brawler!'

Sharee's opinion was he looked like one of those cocky little worms from school.

'And his opponent, the number one ranked Rex Raptor, Dino Duellist!'

And he wasn't much better. He just didn't have that creepy little grin.

'Bug Boy versus Dinosaur Breath?' Joey demanded. 'What kind of match is that? That should've been me in there!'

Sharee looked at him indulgently. _Like a hyperactive kid, in't he?_

_**Long as his heart's in the right place and, trust me, it is.**_

Téa looked at him. 'I know you've been training for weeks, but those guys are in another league. You're just not ready yet.'

'Sure, rub it in.' Joey sat back and shut his eyes.

'And, on top of that, you're so tired you can't keep your eyes open,' Yugi added.

Almost to prove the point, Joey began snoring.

'I think grandpa's lessons have been a bit too tough for him,' Yugi said.

'I wouldn't want to enter a tournament anyway,' Sharee said.

That woke Joey up. 'What? Why not?'

Sharee looked back at the TV where the duel had begun. 'Because most that do, generally the ones who hit the top, are self-centred and cocky. I prefer to duel for fun.'

Joey huffed and hung his head. 'I must've been nuts to think I could ever learn this crazy game!'

Grandpa Moto suddenly appeared behind them. 'Time for your lesson.'

Joey spun around. 'What? We're not done?'

'Not by a long shot, you slacker,' Grandpa Moto said.

Sharee smiled to herself. Joey groaned.

'Now, quit your whining, Joseph,' Grandpa Moto told him. 'I know you've been working long and hard but you really are coming along as a duellist and I'm quite proud of you.'

Sharee laughed when Joey went to hug him but he moved.

'By the way, Yugi,' he said. 'This package came for you.'

'Package?' Yugi asked. 'What is it, gramps?'

'I don't know,' Grandpa Moto said. 'It just came in the mail.'

'Huh.' Yugi took the package and looked at it.

Sharee leaned over. 'Hey, it's from Industrial Illusions!'

'Industrial Illusions?' Joey climbed back onto the couch. 'That's the company that makes the Duel Monsters game! Why the heck would they be sending a package to you, Yugi?'

'I have no idea,' Yugi said. 'Is it possible that they heard that I beat the world champion?'

'Maybe,' Sharee said. _**Very likely.**_ 'If someone on the Board of Directors or whatever it is has a Millennium Item, they'd know.' She'd spoke a lot about those things since she started hanging out with these four. Mostly, it was too imply they were significant.

'You'll have to explain that later,' Yugi said. 'I mean, it wasn't an official match or anything, but Kaiba did drop out of the tournament because of me.'

Sharee rolled her eyes. So he got beaten! Big deal. That happened a lot. She got beaten in a lot of things. In her opinion, if you were undefeated in something it'd be better to find someone to beat you and be glad for it. But…that was probably just her.

Joey put his hand to his head. 'Just hearing Kaiba's name gives me a headache.'

'Whoa!' Tristan, it appeared, was paying more attention to the duel on the TV. 'Guys, Raptor just stomped Weevil!'

They all returned their attention to the screen.

'Yugi, these guys any good?' Joey asked.

'Oh, yeah,' Yugi said. 'They're both pretty tough customers. Weevil specialises in insect cards and he's a great strategist. Then you've got Rex Raptor and his dinosaur cards. He uses their power to overwhelm his opponents.'

'Itsy-bitsy bugs versus duelling dinosaurs?' Joey asked. 'Raptor has got this one in the bag.'

'I wouldn't be so sure,' Yugi said.

Raptor summoned a monster and the announcer had, in Sharee's opinion, a real bad word choice. 'Oh, and Raptor plays the strongest card in his deck: the terrible Two-Headed King Rex! Looks like this match could be over right here, right now!'

_What would he say if Raptor pulled out an even stronger monster?_

_**Probably the same thing. It's an ancient concept: say something ill-advised, pretend you didn't do it.**_

Weevil sniggered and laid a card down.

'And Weevil Underwood counters…with the Basic Insect card!'

_Trap. __**Trap.**_ Sharee smirked to herself. That was in unison.

Joey, it seemed, wasn't quite so astute. 'He plays a wimpy bug against a giant dinosaur? The place'll be covered in bug guts!'

'Maybe,' Yugi said. 'But I wouldn't underestimate Weevil.'

King Rex attacked and was caught in a vortex trap card. Then armour and laser cannon appeared on the Basic Insect, increasing its attack points which were then used. King Rex was destroyed and Raptor's life points dropped down to zero.

'A stunning upset by Weevil Underwood, our newest champion!'

The camera followed Weevil as he was lowered to the ground and he held up his duelling deck. Sharee nodded to herself. Joey was as surprised as she'd expected him to be. He leaned forward.

'Man, King Rex squashed by an insect?' he asked.

The announcer called Sharee's attention again. 'And now a very special honour for our new champion. Here to present the Duel Monsters Championship Trophy, the Creator of Duel Monsters and the President of Industrial Illusions, ladies and gentlemen and fellow duellists, I give Mr. Maximillion Peggg-asus!'

A panel in the floor slid open and a man with long hair, part of which falling over his right eye, and in an expensive red suit was risen up. It could've been Sharee's imagination but…when they did a close-up of his face…'Is it just me…or does anyone else think he maybe has an artificial right eye?'

Grandpa Moto glanced at her. 'No, I heard he lost his right eye in an accident and has a golden one in its place.'

Pegasus's voice was heard as he handed over the trophy. 'Congratulations. And, as Regional Champion, I invite you to compete in a bold new tournament I'm hosting at Duellist Kingdom.'

Alarm bells went off in Sharee's head.

Yugi's grandpa chuckled. 'With all the excitement of the Championship, you forgot to open your package, Yugi.'

'What could it be?' Yugi wondered as he opened it.

All of them were crouched around it. 'Huh?'

'Some kind of glove,' Téa said.

'And stars,' Joey added.

'Stars probably go in the glove,' Sharee surmised. 'Some kind of…grading system?'

'Maybe there's an explanation on the video,' Tristan suggested as Yugi picked up the tape in question.

'Pop it in and check it out,' Joey said.

'Okay.' Yugi went over and did just that. They all followed him and the lot of them crouch around the screen.

A publicly well-known face appeared on the screen. 'Greetings, little Yugi, I am Maximillion Pegasus.'

All six of them started. Sharee squinted again, trying to see the artificial eye through his hair.

'Pegasus?' Joey asked.

'We just saw him on TV!' Téa stated they what they were all thinking.

Behind him, Yugi's grandfather was muttering to himself. 'The famous Maximillion Pegasus sends greetings to my Yugi?'

'I have heard some terribly interesting things about you, Yugi,' Pegasus went on. 'Your impressive defeat of Seto Kaiba intrigued me so much I've decided to investigate your amazing duelling skills personally. Right here, right now. We shall hold a special duel. We'll play with a strict time limit of fifteen minutes and when time's up, the player with the highest life points will be winner. Are you ready?'

Yugi leaned forward. 'What?'

For some reason, Sharee leapt to her feet. Something in this must have startled her – and Yugi didn't think it was the impossibility of the whole concept. She actually looked scared.

'Whoa!' Joey exclaimed. 'He can't seriously expect you to fight a duel against a video tape!'

'Yeah,' Tristan said. 'That's crazy!'

Pegasus chuckled, his voice seeming to shift from recording to real life. 'No…it's magic!' He raised his hair and Yugi saw a golden eye in his right socket, just like Sharee had thought. And it glowed.

Something went over them, a chill ran through Yugi's body.

'The Millennium Eye,' Sharee said from behind him, voice tight.

Yugi spun around. Only Sharee and himself were normal. Joey, Tristan, Téa and his grandfather were all frozen. The living room was gone. Yugi muttered everything he saw. 'Everything's growing dark and cold and the others aren't moving. What have you done to them? Where have you taken us?'

Sharee's eyes narrowed. 'The Shadow Realm.'

Pegasus chuckled. He definitely sounded like he was really there now. 'We're no longer in the world you know, but I will return you…after our game.'

Yugi turned back around. 'Then it's time to duel!'

And there was that feeling…like somebody else was taking control of his body. Yugi saw, right before his vision whited-out, a golden glow that he was sure only he could see. It was surrounding Sharee.

Yami opened his eyes. 'Start the clock and make your move, Pegasus.'

'Certainly. Let's begin.' The screen pulled back, revealing a duelling board in front of him. One appeared in front of Yami as well. The clock began ticking down. Yami noticed Shamee's attention was diverted. On one hand, she was paying attention to the duel, on another she sensed something.

Pegasus went on as they drew their cards. 'Nervous, Yugi-boy? You should be. You have never faced a duellist like me before.'

'You maybe good…'

'I assure you, I am.'

'…but I will beat you to save my friends.' Yami pulled a card from his hand and was about to throw it down.

'You won't save anyone with that dragon card,' Pegasus said as his eye glowed.

'How…?' Yami froze. It was a Komori Dragon but he hadn't even revealed the card yet.

Shamee was quick to explain. 'The Millennium Eye, which we saw just before, allows him to look into peoples' minds.'

Oh…yes. He remembered now.

Pegasus hummed in approval. 'Someone's done her homework. But as the daughter of a prominent Egyptologist, I would expect that of you. You certainly have easier access to the information.' He addressed Yugi again. 'I told you you'd never faced anyone like me before. I know every move you'll make before you can even make it.' He smirked. 'And that gives me a distinct advantage, wouldn't you say?'

Yami ground his teeth.

'For example,' Pegasus held up a card, 'I can anticipate your next play and counter it with this Dragon Capture Jar.' A bright light came out of the card and Yami had to cover his eyes. When the light faded, Yami looked to see the card had truly come to life. That felt familiar. Pegasus went on, unhindered. 'It will draw the Komori Dragon from your card and imprison the beast.' The monster was sucked into the card. 'Trapped, never to be played against me.'

Yami understood all this, but Yugi didn't. He was frozen. _This is crazy! First he reads my_ _mind, then he brings the monster on my card to life._ Yami wished he could reassure the boy but there was nothing to be done.

Pegasus began speaking again. 'As young Sharee said before, this dark dimension we're in is known as the Shadow Realm. A mystical place where incredible monsters can be summoned and the impossible is quite possible.'

Yami already knew all this. Even though the memories had been buried, the core reason – the Shadow Games – had been left. He needed to know that, but he also couldn't have someone like Pegasus knowing what he knew. Thankfully, while Yugi was at least partially ignorant of his presence, the Millennium Eye couldn't pick up Yami's thoughts. Instead, he voiced Yugi's.

'But what you're telling me can't be true!'

'Tell me, Yugi,' Pegasus said. 'Do you believe there is magic in these cards?'

'Don't you know?' Yami pulled another card from his hand and repeated Yugi's belief. It was wrong, but Yugi Moto had no way of knowing that. 'You invented this game.'

'What if I told you I didn't?' Pegasus asked.

Admitting it, are we? Yami let Yugi's shock show on his face. 'Huh?'

'In ancient times, the Egyptians called this the Shadow Games,' Pegasus said. 'Powerful Pharaohs would hold mystical duels in other dimensions, just as we're doing now. But not with cards. They battled with real monsters and real magic.'

Yami kept up the pretence, using Yugi's emotions to guide his reactions.

'Magical forces so powerful that the Egyptians lost control of them and nearly destroyed the entire world.'

In the back of his mind, Yami registered that was off the mark. Only slightly, but he was wrong. 'It's a good story, Pegasus, but these monsters can't be real!'

A beast emerged out of Pegasus's side of the board. 'Tell that to my Dragon Piper as his Flute of Resurrection frees your Komori Dragon but puts him under my control!'

Oh, sandstorm! 'I have to counter-attack!' Yami threw down a card. 'Silverfang!'

The monster leapt out of its card and met the Komori Dragon, which burned it to nothing. Yami shielded his face. 'The heat!'

When the fire vanished, Yami lowered his arm. Silverfang was destroyed and his life points dropped to 1500. So Pegasus knew more than most modern-day people…and was willing to use the Shadow Games for his own ends.

'Ha! As you see, Yugi, these monsters are very real.' Pegasus chuckled. 'And also quite dangerous.'

Yami just glared at him.

Pegasus stopped his laughing. 'Ah, Yugi-boy, you really are quite entertaining. The way you scowl and sneer. So defiant and yet helpless. And yet so completely ignorant of the power of your Millennium Puzzle.'

Oh, rat rot! That was it. Pegasus wanted his Millennium Puzzle. Yugi didn't get it but Yami did. He could do one of two things here. He could acknowledge that, yes, he was actually aware of the power that hung around his neck. Except Yugi wasn't and he was in control of the body most of the time. On top of that, if Pegasus knew the level of ignorance he believed didn't exist he might do someone some damage.

So he went for Yugi's approach. 'What?' Huh. It sounded as if he honestly didn't know what the other man was going on about.

'Five thousand years ago a powerful Pharaoh locked the power of the Shadow Games away,' Pegasus said.

'What's this have to do with me?' Yami asked, but something was trying to get through the edge of his consciousness.

'The Pharaoh captured these vast magical energies in seven mystical Millennium Items,' Pegasus said.

Shamee huffed. 'Yes, yes, yes. The Key, the Rod, the Scales, the Eye, the Necklace, the Ring and the Puzzle. Whosoever wields all seven items shall hold power unimaginable.'

Yami looked at her. 'You didn't mention your Bandanna.'

Shamee shrugged. 'Even though it's called the Millennium Bandanna, it's not officially recognised as a Millennium Item. Its powers were given quite a number of years later.' She scratched the end of her nose. 'Each item has different mystical energies locked within it.'

Pegasus pointed at him. 'Magic that could change your life forever if you only know how to unleash it.'

'But why are you telling me this?' Yami asked.

'Maybe it has something to do with that…?' Shamee sounded stumped suddenly.

Yami looked and he knew Pegasus did too. What he saw explained why Shamee was so confused. A boy had wandered out of the shadows. He had tanned skin, like theirs used to be, and dark brown hair. He was looking at Yami with wide purple eyes. His clothes also begged a question. He was wearing a white tunic and a solid gold collar. On his wrists and ankles were bands, also made out of solid gold, protecting his forearms and lower legs.

As opposed to struggling under the weight, the boy seemed used to it. Shamee exhaled heavily, dropping her hand in her head.

'A pure heart, void of evil,' she said. 'I thought that was what I sensed.'

Yes, a five year old boy would have a heart void of evil.

Pegasus clicked his tongue. 'Like so many. So young, such a waste. That boy there is a soul imprisoned here. By looking at him, I'd say he's been here since the Shadow Games of old. Actually…' He scrutinised the boy.

The child reacted. His eyes widening and he shot over, right to Yami. Even though he didn't know the child…he was reasonably sure, Yami used his free arm to hold the boy against his side. He felt tiny hands fist in his jacket and a small head peek out from under his arm.

'…the glade that broke the horse's leg,' Pegasus said. 'The way he's dressed, it would be safe to say he's from the Egyptian Royal Household. Possibly, when this boy was lost, the Pharaoh decided enough was enough.'

'So very nice to know that you care,' Yami just about spat. He turned his attentions to the boy and rubbed his head. Lowering his voice, he whispered reassuringly, somehow knowing his words were true. 'He won't harm you. Just stay behind the woman who first saw you and myself.'

The boy looked up at him and nodded, slowly extracting himself from Yami's arm and allowing him to return to the duel.

Pegasus clicked his tongue. 'Much better. Perhaps I have said too much and, seeing as the clock is still ticking, I propose we resume playing our little duel.'

Yugi's thoughts rang in his head. _He's right. Time's running out and I still haven't figured out if he can really read my mind of if it's all some kind of trick._ Yami reached for another card in his hand. _I've gotta do something. Maybe my zombie warrior…_ He froze. _Wait a minute! He definitely knows what I'm about to do. But how? It's gotta have something to do with that weird eye of his. That's it, isn't it? That weird eye must somehow let him see the cards in my hand, so no matter which card I pick he's already one step ahead of me. But that gives me an idea._

'Hurry up, now, Yugi-boy, time is running out…for you and your friends.'

Yami felt the child behind him shift. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Shamee look at the five year old and raise a finger to her lips. This boy…there had to be a connection between the two of them. The boy knew the one in control of the body was not Yugi.

Yugi's voice continued. _Pegasus is expecting me to play one of the cards in my hand, but what if I play a card even I haven't seen yet?_ It was a good idea. Yami moved as Yugi thought. _What happens if I draw a card straight from the deck without even looking at it?_

'I already know you plan to play the Zombie Warrior,' Pegasus said. 'And I'm already prepared to counter it with a trap card that makes even zombies lie down and play dead.'

Yami smirked. 'Not this time. I figured out your little game, Pegasus. You may be able to see the cards in my hand, but you can't see the ones I pull from the deck.'

'Hm?' Pegasus's eye narrowed.

'My next card is…' Yami turned it over. '…the Dark Magician!'

Pegasus glared at him for a second and then lifted his hand. 'Oo! The big, scary Dark Magician.'

'Mock me all you like, Pegasus,' Yami said. 'But my Magician will destroy that Dragon!'

'Go ahead if you think it'll help,' Pegasus said.

'It'll do more than "help", Pegasus,' Yami said. 'It'll bring you closer to defeat and bring me closer to saving my friends.'

Pegasus seemed to smile to himself. 'If it can do all that, by all means play it.'

The Dark Magician came out of the card as Yami called for it. 'Dark Magician! Dark Magic Attack!'

The Dark Magician attacked the Dragon. Pegasus cried out and shielded his eyes as the monster was destroyed, but then he lifted his head and started laughing despite the fact that his life points dropped to 1200. The little boy slid even further behind Yami.

'Nicely played!' Pegasus complimented him. 'But, by using your Dark Magician, you've let me manipulate you once again.'

Yami drew back.

'By playing that one card, you have ensured my victory,' Pegasus said.

Yami hardened his features. 'No.'

'We shall see, Yugi.' Pegasus drew. 'Oh! A very rare card.' He turned it around. 'This is the fearsome Faceless Mage.'

'I've never seen that card before,' Yami said. 'But my Dark Magician is one of the strongest magic cards in the game.'

'But how will he fare once I combine my Faceless Mage with the equally rare Eye of Illusion?' Pegasus asked as the two cards came together and the Faceless Mage came out of them.

'Dark Magician, Dark Magic Attack!' Yami called to his monster.

The Dark Magician attacked. The Faceless Mage raised its hands and the Eye of Illusion shot forward. The two blasts combined brightly. Yami had to cover his eyes and the boy took cover behind his back. Even Shamee seemed to need to cover her eyes.

Yami looked up when the attacks cleared. _My attacks had no effect at all._

Suddenly the boy trotted out from behind Yami, ran around Shamee's legs and forward. He stopped and turned, looking at the Dark Magician. The boy's eyes widened and he pointed at the monster. Something did happen. Yami nodded his head and Shamee moved over to stand behind the boy and see what he wanted to show them.

'Aw, man!' Shamee groaned. 'His Eye of Illusion is on the front of your Dark Magician.'

Pegasus frowned. 'Sure, go and ruin the surprise, why don't you?'

The Dark Magician turned and Yami saw they were right. That meant Pegasus had control of another one of his monsters. Knowing what was coming next, Yami raised his arm against the attack that came out and took a chunk out of his life points.

The boy suddenly turned around and yelled into the darkness. 'Mother!'

Mother. He was calling for his mother. She'd been brought here too. Shamee looked just as surprised as he felt. A moment later a woman ran out of the shadows. She was…oddly familiar. Her eyes, one of the prettiest shades of jade that Yami had ever seen, took in everything. Regardless of how pretty she was, she was clearly where the boy had gotten his unruly dark hair.

'It's been five thousand years already?' she asked. She looked at Pegasus, an expression of mocking on her face. 'Do you understand what you're starting?'

Pegasus smiled pleasantly. 'Please, my dear, you obviously didn't. You're a prisoner of the Shadow Realm as well. You can't do very much.'

'No.' The woman chuckled. 'Maybe not, but watch what I can do.'

The woman walked over to Yami. Feeling a complete ease at her approach, he didn't flinch away when she knelt down next to him. She raised the forefingers of her right hand and touched the tips to the centre of his forehead. A light glow appeared where she touched and Yami's eyes fell shut.

The woman had resurfaced some important pieces of information in his mind. More specifically, she had brought forward the details on the Millennium Items. When he opened his eyes, he knew all there was to know about all of the items.

Yami smiled at her and drew a new card, putting all his faith in it. When it went down, the Summoned Skull rose from the image. The boy cheered and clapped. Yami called for the beast to attack his own Dark Magician, which was no longer his. A puzzling note on that was as the electricity went, the woman pressed her face to his upper arm.

There was a startling need to comfort her.

But that was when the timer hit zero. Both monsters vanished and the woman lifted her head, expression startled. The boy looked around and then up at Shamee questioningly. She shrugged.

'Ran out of time.'

'Indeed.' Pegasus closed his eyes for a moment but looked cheerful. 'But how close was that? If you had been able to complete that attack, I would have lost.' He was right. His life points were at 1200, while Yami's were at 400. 'But I didn't, did I? I have taken the measure of your talents this day, Yugi Moto, and when next we duel, we shall play for far higher stakes.'

'I'm done with your games,' Yami said.

Pegasus shook his finger and clicked his tongue. 'You presume I'm giving you a choice in the matter but…' He moved his hair aside to reveal his Millennium Eye again. '…I'm not. For I too possess one of the seven Millennium Items…'

Yami gasped and drew back as he realised what was about to happen. From the way Shamee had the same reaction, she knew too.

'…the all-powerful Millennium Eye!'

'You're going to…?' Yami glanced back at the four frozen people behind him.

'That's right, Yugi-boy!' Pegasus announced, causing him to spin back around. 'And now I'll show you the true extent of its magic.'

A light shot out of it, over his and the woman's heads, and enveloped Yugi's grandfather. The elderly man's soul lifted out of his body and was pulled away.

'You see I have found that, given the proper incentive, anyone can be made to play my game,' Pegasus said.

The man's face appeared on the television screen. Yami was about to exercise an old power to restore it but the one who owned this body was an emotional teenaged boy. The only warning was from Shamee.

'Vessel!'

The woman jumped up as Yugi snatched back control of his body and Yami was thrown back into his chamber of the mind. Despite that, he still heard Pegasus finishing that sentence right before he returned the rest of them, barring the woman and the little boy, to their own world.

'Yes, we will duel again, Yugi. How else will you ever reclaim your grandfather's soul?' His laugh seemed to echo around in Yami's head.

* * *

There we go. Brownie points for the first person to guess who the woman and her kid are.


	3. Journey to Duellist Kingdom

DISCLAIMER: If you recognise it from somewhere else, it isn't mine.

* * *

**Journey To The Duellist Kingdom**

Yugi stood on top of the school roof, staring out on the horizon. _How did I get into this mess? I can't believe that grandpa's actually gone. One minute he's right beside us, and the next Pegasus shows up uses some kind of weird magic to steal_ _his soul away. But why? What could Pegasus possibly want with me? And could it have something to do with my Millennium Puzzle?_ Yugi almost swore he felt a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Even if it was just in his head, it made him feel better. _Well, I'll get grandpa back. I'll beat Pegasus at his own game…whatever that is._

Joey looked at the tape in front of him. 'Wonder who this is from.' He put it in his VCR and played it.

A familiar and loved face appeared in front of him. 'Hey, there, big brother, how've you been? I really miss you.'

Joey was surprised. 'Serenity?'

Serenity smiled and chuckled. 'I can't believe it's been six years since we've seen each other. I'll never forget the day mom took me to live with her.'

No, neither would Joey…running after a car. He loved his sister and there hadn't been any warning. Their mother had just picked her up and left with her. Serenity spoke again, pulling Joey back to the present.

'I'm sending this video just so you don't forget your little sister's face. It seems like I'm running out of time. I was hoping to see you once more before…' Tears were visible in her eyes. 'Oh, well, you understand. Bye-bye, brother.'

'Run outta time?' Joey felt tears burning behind his own eyes. 'It can't be!'

'So long. Take care, Joey.' The video ended.

Joey jammed his eyes shut. 'Serenity…'

Sharee walked in her front door and immediately headed into the kitchen to get something to each eat. She stopped short, though, when she saw her father waiting for her. He was looking down at an envelope with a troubled expression.

'I thought you didn't do tournaments,' he said.

'I don't.' Sharee's eyes narrowed. 'Why?'

Immediately, she was handed the envelope. It was addressed to her personally from Industrial Illusions. Ah. Her father thought she'd gotten their attention. Sharee scowled and slipped open the envelope. It was an invitation to the Duellist Kingdom Tournament.

Sharee looked up at her father. 'Maximillion Pegasus has one of the Millennium Items. You know how Yugi's grandpa's in a coma?'

Sharee's father groaned. 'Please don't tell me it's because Pegasus took his soul.'

'Okay.' Sharee walked over to the fridge.

Yugi looked over the five cards he's been sent.

'A tournament at Duellist Kingdom?' Téa asked when he told his friends. 'Isn't that an island?'

'Straight in that direction.' Sharee pointed.

'So that's where Pegasus is keeping your grandpa?' Joey surmised.

'Maybe,' Yugi said. 'The only way to know for sure is to become a contestant. The boat's going to be leaving in two days.'

'But you can't go!' Téa insisted. 'It could be dangerous.'

'Yeah, that's always a possibility,' Sharee said.

'I have to go,' Yugi said. 'It's the only clue I have for rescuing grandpa.'

'I still can't believe it,' Tristan said. 'Pegasus used some kind of weird spell to drag your grandpa's soul away and now he's toying with you, forcing you to duel in the tournament.'

'Right,' Joey agreed. 'And, without invitations, we can't even go these with you. I wish we could help you, pal.'

Téa was silent for a moment. 'This is bad.'

Sharee said nothing. She stood there with her arms folded and her eyes closed. Yugi looked at her. She was clearly thinking about something. Had to be something big from that look on her face. One thing Yugi had learned about Sharee in the few weeks they'd been friends, she rarely took anything seriously. What she didn't grin or joke about was actually serious.

'Huh? Yugi!' Tristan picked up two cards. 'Check this out. According to this card, the tournament winner takes the grand prize of three million dollars.'

Sharee didn't move. Had she heard this before?

'Three mil?' Joey asked.

'So what, Tristan?' Yugi asked. 'Who cares about money at a time like this?'

When Joey snatched the card and startled them all, he had his answer, but that was also the moment that Sharee moved. She looked up at him in confusion and then understanding crossed her face.

Yugi made a mental note. Hours later, when he went looking for him Sharee went with him. As he thought, Joey was sitting on the roof. He was just staring out into the horizon.

'Joey?' Yugi called. 'What are you doing up here?'

Joey turned his head and looked at them. 'Hm?'

'What's with you?' Yugi asked.

'Ah, nothing,' Joey said. 'I'm just thinking about a whole lotta stuff.' He paused. 'Yugi, you do know that I care about your gramps, right? I mean, he taught me about the Heart of the Cards.'

Yugi faced him. 'Of course I know.'

'I mean it!' Joey insisted. 'One way or another, I'll help you beat Pegasus.'

Yugi smiled and came over, sitting next to him. 'That really means a lot to me, Joey. I'm glad we're friends.'

'Remember the first time we met?' Joey asked.

Yugi looked down at what hung around his neck. 'I'll never forget it. It was all because of the Millennium Puzzle. The way grandpa explained it to me it was originally found in some Egyptian ruins. My grandpa gave it to me and sort of dared me to solve it. It was the most incredible thing I'd ever seen in my life. As soon as I touched it, I knew it was special. I made a wish on the Puzzle. I asked it to give me a real friend and I think the Puzzle came through for me. That was when I met up with you and Tristan. Although, you sure didn't act like my friends at first.'

'Ah!' Joey chuckled. 'You mean when we were playing keep-away with the Millennium Puzzle? It was for you, man. We just wanted to toughen you up so you could stand up to the real bullies. We were only teasing you.'

Yugi looked at him incredulously. 'Teasing? You took piece of the Millennium Puzzle and threw it out the window! And I was the one who tried to help you guys out when that bully picked on you!' Yeah. Yugi certainly remembered that guy. Not a pleasant experience. He tried to employ himself as Yugi's bodyguard and then force him to pay for the beatings the bully handed out to Joey and Tristan.

Joey frowned. 'He was a mean one, all right.' He looked at him. 'You stood up for us, Yug. I'll never forget that. Because of you, we got that moron expelled. And Tristan and I learned what it was like to have a true friend.'

'Well, at least you retrieved the lost Puzzle piece,' Yugi said. 'If you hadn't done that, I could never have solved the Millennium Puzzle.'

'The truth of the matter is, you're the best friend I've ever had,' Joey said.

'Yeah.' Yugi smiled but only for a moment. 'It's too bad you can't go with me to rescue grandpa.'

'Don't worry,' Joey told him. 'Somehow, someway, I promise we'll do it together.'

Yugi looked at him. 'Together?'

'You bet.' Joey agreed. 'We're a team, Yugi.'

'But how can you go without an invitation?' Yugi asked.

'I got an idea.' Sharee spoke up for the first time. Since they came onto the roof. She walked over to the boys. 'First off, Joey, who needs an operation?'

'What?' Joey asked the question as he and Yugi looked up in confusion.

'You got all excited about the money,' Sharee said. 'You aren't money-hungry though. So someone you care about needs an operation that you just can't afford. Who?'

Joey looked shocked and then he dropped his head. 'My sister…Serenity. She's had this condition her whole life. Now…looks like time's up. She's gonna go blind unless she gets that operation. We don't have that kind of money.'

Yugi looked at him in concern. 'Then you can enter the Tournament.'

'Yeah, you can.' Sharee pulled an envelope out of her pocket. 'I got invited too. I'll give you the glove and star chips tomorrow. Tristan and Téa will probably have to stow away though.'

'What about you?' Yugi asked.

'I meant what I said,' Sharee said. 'I don't do tournaments. There's no way Pegasus invited me because of my duelling skill. He wants my Millennium Bandanna so, logically, he'll let me come to Duellist Kingdom any way I please. I already have a mode of transport ready.'

Sharee mused, as she sat in the plush seat and watched clouds roll by the window like white cotton candy, that this probably wasn't what her friends were thinking when she said she had another way there. But generations of archaeology and talent in the aforementioned industry had lined their pockets deep.

Sharee probably could have a "who's got the bigger inheritance" contest with Kaiba if she knew the exact figure he was pulling in. She was descended from wealthy Victorians – quite literally – and with their profession, the money just grew.

Sharee half-wanted to just hand the necessary money over to Joey instead of just the necessary objects for entry into the Duellist Kingdom Tournament, but there was a snag with that plan. The family had self-imposed limitations on how much money they used per month and that was above it. Too bad. This was more trouble than it was worth, really.

The jet phone rang and Sharee picked it up. 'Hello? Oh, good. What'd you find? Research? So he knows all about me? My background and everything? Well, that's going to throw jam in the works, isn't it? What about the Millennium Items? How much more does he know about them?'

Sharee sat there, listening to the response.

'How convenient for us. Okay. Thanks. Yeah, I'll keep you posted. I will. Bye-bye.'

Sharee hung up and stood up. She started pacing around the cabin. She'd dressed for the trip. A little homework on Duellist Kingdom and she was wearing a yellow tank top under her jacket, to go with her Millennium Bandanna, denim short-shorts and a pair of boots that only went to the bottom of her calves. She also had a heavier jacket in case it got too cold.

_**How interesting.**_

Sharee exhaled heavily at the sound of Shamee's voice in her head. She was referring to the telephone conversation. In her mind's eye, Sharee saw the five thousand year old spirit sitting next to her. _Isn't it just?_

Shamee was sipping from a goblet. Sharee didn't think there was really anything there. It was probably just a nostalgic action from Shamee's mortal days. The spirit chuckled and nodded.

Sharee smiled. _So what do you make of it?_

Shamee leaned her head back._** What I make of it is that Pegasus is extremely sure of himself, but…she was right. He doesn't know what exactly he's challenging.**_

Sharee looked at her for a moment. _So who were they? The woman…and the kid?_

_**I don't know.**_ Shamee's brown furrowed. _**But I feel like I should know them. There was definitely something familiar about the woman…and the kid…**_

_You felt protective._ Sharee stated her observation. _I noticed. When the boy stepped away from Yami, you were ready for anything. And when he called your attention, even though Yami couldn't move from his spot, you went right over there._

_**I do feel…some kind of affection for him. I can't place it, though. But I'm sure I've never seen him before.**_

Sharee cocked her head. _But you can't say for sure._

_**Of course not.**_ Shamee rolled her eyes. _**My memories are buried, remember? If I knew why, it probably wouldn't be so bad. But that kid…I must know who he is, but I sure as the sun don't recognise him. Not like I do his mother.**_

Sharee nodded in understanding. _What about the Bandanna? I thought I got everything on that. But that comment in there just threw me off._

Shamee chuckled. _**Oh, that? Well, you see, originally, there was no Millennium Bandanna. It was given shadow power nearly twenty years after the other seven items were forged and only because its owner – me – refused to leave Yami to this fight on his own.**_ There was an undercurrent of something else in her mind.

_And? _Sharee looked at her expectantly.

_**Never did learn not to underestimate you, did I?**_ Shamee laughed. _**The Millennium Puzzle is the most powerful of the Items. The thing is it hasn't been used in…5000 years, roughly speaking. Towards that end, its capabilities are…what's the word you modern-day people use? Rusty!**_

* * *

Short, I know but I wanted the trip to be from Sharee's POV.


	4. Into the Hornet's Nest

DISCLAIMER: If you recognise it from somewhere else, it isn't mine.

* * *

**Into The Hornet's Nest**

Sharee stepped off the plane and looked at the men in suits. One with an almost a sharp point on top of his head stood at the foot of the ramp, blocking her way. Sharee smirked and started walking down the ramp regardless.

'I just figured if I was going to walk into a trap, I should do it of my own free will,' she said.

'What?' The suit drew back.

Sharee brushed past him. 'I don't do tournaments so I gave my access cards to someone who needed them more. Tell your boss that Sharee Pertinicle is on the island and she'll come into the castle when Yugi Moto does.'

Sharee stopped at the bottom and turned around. 'All right, boys! Take it away!' She turned and walked to the pier uninterrupted. She knew that Pegasus would allow her on the island.

Yugi and Joey were the first off the boat to meet Sharee. She laughed at Tristan's lack of calm when passing the guards. When all five of them stood there, Tristan was panting for breath.

'I think I just had a heart attack.'

'Way to play it cool, Tristan.' Téa grinned in amusement. 'That wasn't suspicious at all.'

Joey pumped his fists. 'All right! Every single one of us made it here, safe and – atchoo!' He sneezed. Sharee's eyebrows went up.

Yugi frowned. 'You would never have caught that cold if it wasn't for Weevil.'

'That Regional Champion worm?' Sharee asked. 'What'd he do?'

'He threw Yugi's Exodia cards into the ocean,' Téa said.

Joey rubbed under his nose. 'Speaking of our wormy friend, looks like he has already slithered his way off the boat and is already looking to start some trouble.'

They all looked over. Weevil was smirking at them from where he stood.

'I knew I thought he looked like a creep,' Sharee said.

Joey nodded. 'That slime ball. I've love to wipe that smirk off his face.'

_I would too but we don't have time for Weevil right now. _Yugi bit his tongue to keep from saying what he really thought.

'Welcome all Duellists.' One of the guards spoke up. 'Please, follow the stairs to meet your host.' He indicted a long flight of stairs that led up to an old castle.

'Must've been imported from somewhere,' Sharee mused.

Yugi nodded once. 'That castle's gotta belong to Pegasus.'

'Then what are we waiting for?' Joey started leading them up the stairs.

They were about half way up the stairway when Téa stopped them. Apparently she'd seen Bakura again. Yugi noticed Sharee's brow was furrowed as she listened to the conversation. He wanted to know what was on her mind but he got the feeling she'd shake her head and say it was nothing.

When they reached the top, they stood around with everyone else. Near them, they could hear two kids talking about those in attendance.

'Wow, look. That's Weevil Underwood. He's the Regional Champion.'

'And that's the runner-up, Rex Raptor.'

'And there's Mako Tsunami. He was ranked third. Wow, these are all the best duellists in the world, but where's the World Champion, Kaiba?'

'Didn't you hear? Some kid beat him. On his own turf too.'

Yugi blushed at how quick all of this had gotten around. Sharee chuckled and Joey nudged him with his elbow.

'Are you serious? I thought Kaiba was the best.'

'He was. But not anymore. Yugi's supposed to be the kid to beat now.'

'Attention.' The guard from before was standing up on the balcony. This time he sounded like he had a microphone. 'Gather around. Your benevolent host is anxious to greet you all.'

Yugi stared up at the balcony. "Benevolent" wasn't the word he'd use. Pegasus appeared on the balcony. Beside him, Joey's hands tightened into fists.

'Boy, would I like to get just five minutes alone with that guy,' he said.

Yugi's mind flashed back to the day this man took his grandfather's soul. _I'm not leaving this island until I save my grandpa, no matter what Pegasus has planned for me._

Pegasus raised his arms. 'Greetings, Duellists! I am Maximillion Pegasus. It is my great honour and pleasure to welcome you all to the Duellist Kingdom. You stand before me the world's greatest duellists. But come tournament's end, only one of you shall be named King of Games. I implore you all to assemble your duelling decks with care, with creativity and with cunning. For this competition will test your skills like never before.' He held up two items. 'To track your progress in the tournament, you've each been given a duelling glove. You've also been given two precious star chips. You must wager these star chips in each duel you compete in.'

Many of the duellists, including Yugi and Joey, slid their duelling gloves on as Pegasus was saying this.

'To advance to the final level of competition for a chance at the three million dollar prize, you must win ten star chips. Ten star chips will admit you into my castle where you'll face me in one final duel.'

_If grandpa's here, I'd bet my duelling glove he's hidden away in that castle. _Yugi looked around. _But I'll never be able to get in there with all the guards around. We're just going to have to win enough star chips to get inside._

Pegasus continued. 'This will be a tournament unlike anything you have ever experienced. State-of-the-art duelling arenas cover this entire island and intriguing new duelling rules will be in effect. I could tell you what these new rules are, but what fun would that be? You'll discover them as you compete or you won't last very long. Remember: play boldly, think strategically and duel mercilessly. You have one full hour to prepare. Both your cards and yourselves. When the skies light up with fireworks, the duels will begin.'

The duellists around them cheered and applauded. Yugi stared up as Pegasus disappeared from the balcony. _I gotta win my way into that castle. I just gotta._

Sharee stared leading them down the stairway. As they went, Yugi looked around the island. As he did, he swore he heard a strong…ancient and powerful voice in his head. _**Now, isn't that interesting?**_ They soon came down into the forest land.

'Sharee?'

Sharee stopped as Joey spoke to her. 'I don't know if I can win this thing. Maybe you should take your duelling glove and everything back.'

'Don't say that, Joey. Don't even think it.' Sharee shook her head. 'You keep it. Your sister's counting on you to win that prize money for her.' She grinned. 'Besides, I told you: I don't do tournaments.'

'Thanks, pal,' Joey said.

'You can do it,' Téa told him. 'You've just gotta steer clear of the more experienced duellists at first.'

'Yeah,' Tristan said. 'It's just a matter of working your way up!'

'Thanks, you guys.' Joey turned to Yugi. 'Well, Yugi, between your grandpa and my sister, we don't have any room for mistakes.'

'Right.' Yugi nodded.

A serious of loud bangs from above got their attention and they all looked up.

'The fireworks!' Téa cried. 'It's starting!'

'Let's do it!' Yugi started leading them through the forest. Actually…when he thought about it, it seemed more like Sharee was leading them. Even though she was walking beside him, Yugi had a feeling she was deciding their direction.

'So what's your plan, Yugi?' Joey asked.

'Well, I might as well stick with Weevil,' Yugi said. 'After all, we do have a score to settle.'

'All right!' Joey said. 'I was hoping you'd say that.'

'Eh, isn't that him?' Téa pointed.

Sure enough, Weevil was standing at the end of the forest.

Yugi called out. 'Weevil, I challenge you to a duel!'

Immediately, Weevil cackled, turned on his heel and ran. Sharee gritted her teeth.

'I can't believe this!' Joey exclaimed. 'Weevil's running away!'

Yugi gave the chase with Sharee hot on his heels. He noticed that Joey, Tristan and Téa took an extra second to follow. Actually, if he thought about it, she seemed to be keeping pace with him, staying the same distance behind him.

'Hey, wait up!' Joey called.

Bug swarmed over them. Yugi and Sharee just ignored them.

'Ugh! Where are all these moths coming from?' Tristan demanded.

Téa evidentially didn't care. 'They're disgusting!'

Tristan then made a comment. 'He's fast for a small guy!'

'Maybe you're just slow for a big guy!' Téa shot back.

'We're never gonna catch him!' Joey called. 'As long as the island's in bounds, he'll keep running all day!'

_What's Weevil up to?_ Yugi wondered. _He's wanted to duel with me since we met on the boat. So what's he running for? Wait a minute…_'What'd he say on the boat?' Yes, he remembered: everyone will soon learn that there are new rules on the island that require more strategy. _It must have something to do with the new rules. So I better figure out what…and fast!_

They all stopped as they came to a clearing. Weevil had stopped running. He was standing there, smirking at them. 'Welcome, said the spider to the fly.' He laughed. 'You flew right into my trap – again!'

Yugi's eyes narrowed. 'It's time you answered for what you did on the boat, Weevil!' He allowed that feeling to come over him again.

Yami scoffed. 'All right, Weevil. Time to find out if you're as good at duelling as you are at running away.'

'Was I simply running away or cleverly weaving you into my web?' Weevil asked.

'It's time to duel,' Yami said.

Weevil laughed. 'As you wish!' At that instant the ground began shaking violently. He heard the three modern-day humans behind him cry out in surprise but he and Shamee slid their feet apart to take more balanced positions.

'It's an earthquake!' cried Tristan.

'No.' That was definitely Shamee in control. 'Artificial earth technology. They hide things in the ground, cover it with fake earth and then rise it up. Look!' As soon as she finished talking, the earth opened up, revealing it was really metal panels.

'Whoa!' Tristan exclaimed. 'The entire ground is transforming!'

Yami watched as a stadium rose up out of the ground behind Weevil.

'It's gigantic!' Téa cried as the stadium finished taking form.

'Man!' Joey forced a laugh. 'These aren't going to me like the duels back home.'

'You've just stepped into a hornet's nest,' Weevil said, 'and there's no way out!'

'What is that?' Yami had never seen anything like it.

'These giant arenas must be set up all over the island!' Joey drew the necessary conclusions. As silly as he sometimes acted, he did have the ability to do that.

Weevil smirked. 'I'll just meet you on the field.' He ran over and hopped onto one of the platforms. Yami walked over to the other one. It rose them both up to the top of the duelling stand.

'I don't like this,' Joey said. 'Weevil's a little too cocky.'

Shamee watched as the two of them wagered their two star chips. Whoever lost this duel would be the first to be eliminated. Shamee barely even acknowledged it when other kids started showing up to watch.

'Whoa! Sounds like a duel is about to start over there!'

'That's Weevil Underwood, but who's the other guy?'

Shamee considered that an odd question, but quickly realised it wasn't. Yugi had never been seen in anything. Only heard of. She turned now. 'That's Yugi Moto. He's the one that beat Kaiba.'

The kids all stared as they came closer. One of them said, 'I thought I wouldn't be seeing a Weevil-Yugi match up til the finals.'

'Weevil's the Regional Champ. No new kid's got a chance against him.'

Shamee turned back around and refocused on the duel.

'Well, Yugi, my adoring public is waiting, so we should begin…'

'Duel!' They both said.

Their life points flew up to two thousand and they each drew five cards. Yami looked at the newly-materialised field. Now, that was really interesting. It all came together in his mind.

Weevil made the first move. 'Let's see how you like my Killer Needle.'

The monster took form.

'You'll have to get through my Mammoth Graveyard first.' Yami laid his own card down and watch his own monster materialise. 'This massive monster will match your annoying insect point for point.' And that was true. They were both of the same attack strength. 'Attack!'

Weevil's smirk widened. 'Killer Needle, let's show the Mammoth your stinger.'

The two monsters collided. Then something confusing happened. The Mammoth was destroyed, but the Killer Needle stayed where it was.

'No!' Yami yelled.

'Ha! Gone after one sting?' Weevil gloated. 'He must be allergic!'

Yugi's thought came to his mind, echoing his own confusion. _I don't get it! Both creatures were evenly matched. It should've been a stalemate._

'Have you begun to figure out yet why I led you all the way to this forest area?' Weevil asked. 'If you would just look around then you would see that this area is an exact replica of our surrounding environment. One part wasteland and one part forest and who thrives in the forest? Bugs! The strongest, most powerful insects rule the forest! So as long as I play my bugs in the forest area, I get a field power bonus. I guess you just weren't listening when Pegasus said that this tournament would have exciting new surprises in store for us. Maybe if you were smart enough to steal the tournaments secret new rules like I did, you'd be getting a field power bonus instead of me!' He crowed the last word and then began laughing.

Yami just let him have his gloat and watched the Killer Needle.

'He cheated,' Joey said from the sidelines. 'He led us here because he knew he'd have an unfair advantage.'

'Go ahead,' Weevil said. 'Call me a cheater. You're all just angry that you didn't swipe the rules yourselves and because you didn't, little Yugi is about to be stung!'

Ah, there we go! Yami started laughing.

'What?' Weevil demanded. 'How could you be laughing?'

'Because, take a look at your ferocious Killer Needle now.'

'What?" Weevil watched as it was destroyed the same way the Mammoth had been. 'Oh, no, my monster! What have you done with my monster?' He looked down at the duelling board and Yami listened to him summarise. 'This makes no sense! My creature was super-charged with a field power bonus but, according to this, Yugi's creature somehow became just as powerful.'

Yami pointed. 'Looks like my Mammoth got a field power bonus from the wasteland area just like your bugs do from the forest.'

Weevil ground his teeth. 'The field point advantage was supposed to be mine alone!'

'I kept wondering about something on the boat ride here, Weevil,' Yami said. 'Why were we travelling to some remote island just to duel?' He looked down. 'But as soon as I saw this holographic display grid, it all came together. Every monster has a type of field that it does best on, kind of like a home field advantage. And what makes this island so special is that it contains every type of field imaginable. So when you _deliberately _led us to this spot, you were clearly hoping to get some kind of field advantage.'

Weevil growled and then started laughing. He straightened up. 'You're awfully clever to put it all together like that, Yugi, but figuring out one rule won't be enough. There are surprises hidden under every rock and I know them all.'

'You can beat him, Yugi!' Téa called.

'Don't let that flea scare you!' Joey called. 'He's bluffing!'

'Really?' Weevil held up another card. 'Then let's just see how you handle this "bluff".' He laid down the card and the monster took shape. Its attack points went up. 'My Hercules Beetle will find a way to crawl under your skin.

In his mind, Yami heard Yugi sigh. _Even though I know about the field power bonus, it's too late to rebuild my deck now. I guess a combo attack would be my best bet._ Not a bad idea. Yami took two cards from his hand and laid one down. 'I play Feral Imp.' The monster took form. 'And now I'll add this Horn of the Unicorn, which magic will raise my attack points.' Something was niggling at the back of his mind.

Weevil sniggered. 'You'll have to do a lot better than that! Hercules Beetle attack!' The Beetle stood back on its hind legs.

'Feral Imp, Magic Lightning Attack!' Yami called for his own monster, but his attack bounced right off the Beetle and the Imp was destroyed.

Téa stated the obvious. 'Yugi's attack didn't even faze that thing!'

'Something's screwy!' Joey insisted.

'My Imp's magic attack should have destroyed your Beetle,' Yami said. 'Is this another trick, Weevil?'

'No, Yugi,' Weevil said. 'I just thought you knew that all monsters with a field power bonus are also resistant to any type of magic attack. And since my Hercules Beetle easily deflected your lightning bolt, he has most than enough power left to destroy your puny Feral Imp and continue to eat away at your life points.'

Ah, rat rot. Yami's life points dropped down to 1350.

'Even that four-eyed tick's weakest bugs are going to be tough to beat so long as he's got that field power bonus,' Joey remarked.

Shamee remained silent. She usually was during duels unless she needed to explain something.

'Yeah, but it's not exactly like it could just be turned off,' Tristan stated.

'That Weevil's a no-good cheat!' Téa insisted.

'It's your turn,' Weevil said. 'Make your move.'

_Maybe I should use my next monster to defend._ Not much else they could do. Yami did just that. _By putting my monster in defence mode, my monster will take a hit but my life points will be spared._

'So, we're defending now, are we?' Weevil asked. 'Very clever! Since I can't see your monster's defence points, I can't be sure I can defeat it but even your strongest monster can't stand against my Basic Insect.' The creature appeared on the field. 'Not only does he get a field power bonus but I'm upgrading him with a level three laser cannon and a level two power boost.'

_No! His insect's so powerful now my defence won't stand a chance! And after it falls, my life points are next._

Weevil smirked even wider. 'Now, Yugi, for all the innocent little bugs you've squashed, stomped, crushed or fumigated, it's…payback time!'

The Basic Insect attacked. Even though these were only supposed to be holograms, Yami knew every duel Pegasus organised…a part of it came from the real monsters of the Shadow Realm. He braced himself and the blast not only destroyed his defence but also sent a hot gust of wind over him. Once he heard the monster scream and then the attack faded, he straightened up.

Weevil chuckled. 'You've have to do better than that if you hope to survive my bug's laser-powered arsenal.'

'Then I'll play this card.' Yami laid the card face-down.

'I'm going to keep you on the defensive. Attack now, with any monster, and you will instantly activate this trap card.' Weevil held up the card in question and then laid it down.

'That Weevil's got Yugi cornered,' Tristan said.

'Yeah!' Joey leaned forward. 'He can't even counter-attack!'

Weevil just continued his grandstanding. 'As long as my trap card remains in play, you're powerless to make a move against me! So…does my tightening web make you squirm?'

They both happened upon the idea at the same time. _He's so busy bragging, he's not paying any attention to my moves. Maybe I can set a little trap of my own._ And he had the perfect one. Yami laid the card down.

'Face it, Yugi,' Weevil said. 'I've got you pinned down and, while you're totally unable to attack me, I can attack you anytime I want. Each turn you cower, I create a new monster.'

And that was what he thought he was doing. He was just filling up his side of the field with them.

'Keeping drawing, Yugi. My army of insects just keeps getting bigger. I'm going to wipe out all your monsters in one big bug blitz.'

_That's right, Weevil, put all your monsters on the field. That's exactly what I'm counting on._

Down on the sidelines, Shamee listened to their friends.

'Just look at our Yugi,' Téa said. 'He looks so confident up there.'

'I know. When he's duelling, it's like he becomes a totally different guy.'

That comment from Joey nearly made Shamee lose her countenance. Her head snapped to the side and she looked at him. Then she turned her eyes back up to Yami and wondered, _**Is it that obvious?**_

In her head, Sharee laughed. _A little bit, yes. Fortunately, these are very sceptical times and the idea is often written off as an overactive imagination._ She paused. _Or they tell me I have split personality disorder._

Weevil sniggered. 'Well, what do you know? I'm down to my last monstrous insect and you know what that means, Yugi. You're about to be exterminated!'

'We'll see what my cards have to say about that,' Yami said. He drew another card. _Yes! The Dark Magician! This is perfect! There's no way Weevil can resist him as a target._ He looked up. 'All right, Weevil. I defend with the Dark Magician.' He laid the card down.

'Excellent!' Weevil crowed. 'I'll destroy your very favourite card first. Now, my pet, power up your Laser Cannon.' He sniggered as the Basic Insect did as instructed. 'Attack!'

Yami chuckled.

Weevil drew back. 'Wha…? Why are you laughing?'

Yami raised his hand. 'Weevil, you're not the only one who can set a trap card.'

'What?' he demanded.

'You were so busy grandstanding, you paid no attention to the cards I put into play.'

'But I thought they were all monster c…cards!'

'Not all. While you loaded the field with your bug monsters, I prepared a special surprise.' He held up the trap card in question. 'The power of my Mirror Force trap card.'

'Hold your fire!' Weevil screamed as the Insect launched the attack.

'It's too late, Weevil,' Yami said as his Dark Magician appeared. 'You already ordered your attack on my Dark Magician and Mirror Force will deflect it right back at you!'

Weevil stepped back and whimpered. 'My life points are devastated!' They dropped down to 555.

'Yes!' Yami smirked. Below him, his friend's cheered.

Weevil glared at him as if he'd committed some kind of social atrocity.

'You're a liar and a cheat, Weevil,' Yami said. 'But it was your overconfidence that allowed me to get the best of you. Your insects are decimated, your life points are low and, as you yourself said before, you have used up all your monsters.'

Weevil laughed. 'Actually, I lied about that too. I still have my most formidable creature waiting in the wings. This unconquerable insect will swat you down once and for all!'


	5. The Ultimate Great Moth

DISCLAIMER: If you recognise it from somewhere else, it isn't mine.

* * *

**The Ultimate Great Moth**

A supreme bug? Shamee didn't like the sound of that.

'Great play, Yug!' Joey called.

'You wiped out Weevil's army in one move!' Tristan cheered.

'All right! You've got him on the ropes!' Téa's cheer got a negative response.

'Yeah, right!'

Joey, Tristan and Téa twisted around. Shamee only turned her head. There was a blonde woman standing there with her arms folded and a cocky smirk on her face. She'd probably been standing in that spot the whole time.

'Mai?' Tristan and Joey immediately identified her.

Shamee, out of habit more than anything else, extended her extra sense. And she felt pity.

Mai didn't seem to think she needed pity though. 'You losers don't seem to realise who your little pal is up against. Weevil's _Regional_ _Champion_. He's got moves your shrimp couldn't even dream up.'

Shamee noticed anger go across Téa's face. From Sharee's memories, she knew Téa's temper and that girl was loyal to the end. She was about to snap at Mai too. Shamee just turned back to the duel but spoke before Téa could.

'And how do you know that? Have you ever seen Yugi duel? I bet all you know about him is he's as innocent as they come and he beat Kaiba.'

'He only beat Kaiba because he had Exodia,' Mai argued.

Shamee didn't bother raising her voice. 'He only needed Exodia because Kaiba has three Blue Eyes White Dragons. I don't see any of those in Weevil's deck.'

Shamee didn't even have to turn around to know Mai had no answer to that. But she did seem to shake it off and step forward. As she expected, the blonde duellist pretended she'd never spoken.

'Weevil will turn the match around.'

Shamee wasn't even going to dignify that with a response.

Some kind of supreme bug in his deck. Yami didn't know what Weevil had up his sleeve but, if the duel thus far had been any indication, it wasn't going to be something he could just bowl over.

'You may have flattened my army of bugs, Yugi,' Weevil said. 'But you haven't won. I still have plenty up my sleeve.'

Yami smirked. 'You've done an awful lot of buzzing throughout this whole duel, Weevil, but I'm still here waiting for the sting.'

'Since you're new to this whole duelling tournament thing, I'll try to make this simple for you,' Weevil said. 'I'm gonna wipe that goofy grin from your face. Now, let's see which lucky bug gets to take the first bite.' He took a card out of his hand. 'Oh, this little bug won't stand a chance against all your ferocious monsters. Oh, well, I'll play him in defence mode.'

'Ah,' Yami said. 'That would have been a nice bluff, but I still haven't forgotten about the trap card you played.' _He didn't trap me then and he's not gonna trap me now. Weevil's trap card will activate as soon as I call an attack and it'll destroy all of the monsters I have on the field, but what if I get my monsters off the field first and then destroy Weevil's trap! Oh, that's it!_ 'I'll spring your trap, Weevil!' He pulled a card from his hand. 'But first, the Monster Recovery card. It allows me to call back all the creatures I have on the field. Monsters, return to your cards!' The two monsters vanished. 'Now your trap has nothing to snare. And once my cards are all safely back in my deck, the Recovery card also lets me draw a new hand.' Yami took the cards, reshuffled and then drew five more cards. 'Now all I have to do is sacrifice one of my weaker monsters and your trap is sprung.' He laid the card down. 'Kuriboh! Attack!'

A little hairball monster appeared on the field.

Weevil growled. 'No!' His trap card appeared, looking like a big caterpillar thing, and shot forward, consuming Yami's Kuriboh.

'Trap cards only work when they catch you by surprise,' Yami said as his life points dropped to 1050. 'Next time, don't give your plan away.'

Weevil sniggered and that turned into laughter. 'I didn't! I don't give a bee's behind about that stupid trap! I tricked you into recalling your monsters, so you couldn't attack this!' He flipped his defence card face up.

Yami was confused as he saw what kind of monster appeared. And he wasn't the only one. _It's just a simple little larva moth. That tiny creature can't be much of a threat. What's Weevil up to now?_

Weevil sniggered. 'Sure, he's just a little slug now. But the Cocoon of Evolution will change all that!' He threw the card down.

Yami's eyes widened. 'What?'

'Isn't it beautiful?' Weevil crowed as the thing took shape.

Yami leaned back. 'Urgh!'

Shamee was in complete agreement with Yami. They reason they didn't lose their lunch was because of the lifestyle they'd had. Worse things happened. The other part was that her host was used to seeing corpses that had been rotting thousands of years, their efforts in mummification be damned.

'Ew,' Téa said. 'That's just gross.'

'Weevil's bug is sealing itself in a Cocoon!' Joey stated.

'Behold!' Weevil crowed. 'My Cocoon of Evolution!'

Yami idly wondered if Weevil ever stopped gloating.

'Within that Cocoon sits my tiny little Larva Moth. And over the next five turns he will undergo a startling transformation! From harmless caterpillar to unstoppable Great Moth!'

Unstoppable? Yami doubted it. 'Then I'll crack your Cocoon before that happens.'

'Easier said than done, Yugi,' Weevil said. 'My Cocoon of Evolution also gets a field power bonus from the wilderness around us, increasing its defence points!' They went right up to 2600. 'It'll be so strong, you won't even be able to scratch its surface!' He held up his hand. 'Just five more turns, Yugi. In five turns, my Great Moth will fully evolve and finish you off!'

_If what Weevil says is true, I better act fast._ Yami was reasonably sure it could be beaten but Yugi may have been right. It was better to cut it off at the pass._ That thing's getting bigger and stronger with each passing second._ He reached down and pulled the strongest card in his hand, laying it down. 'Gaia, the Fierce Knight! Shatter that Cocoon!'

The Fierce Knight appeared on the field and charged. Its lance slammed into the Cocoon but glanced off it.

Joey yelled in alarm. 'The field power bonus makes it too strong!'

Weevil gloated. 'That's one turn down! Care to try again?'

_Weevil's Cocoon is gonna be tough to crack. And for each attack that fails, my life points go down._ Yugi was right. Yami was now down to 750 life points.

'Oh, no,' Téa said.

'Hang tough, Yugi!' Joey called. 'You'll pop that pus-bag!'

Shamee turned her head as Mai laughed.

'Just what do you think you're laughing at?' Téa demanded.

Mai looked at them. 'All that stupid cheerleading you're doing. You make it sound like your Yugi still has a chance.'

'Of course he does!' Téa snapped.

Joey pulled her back. 'Don't listen to her, Téa!'

'Any duellist that's ever gone up against Weevil's Cocoon of Evolution has been totally trashed,' Mai stated.

'All of them?' Joey and Tristan asked and Téa froze.

'I heard that,' Shamee said. 'But Yugi's got something none of them had.'

Mai smirked at her. 'And what's that?'

Shamee smirked right back. 'A bit of it's down here…' She gestured to their little group, then tapped her forehead. 'But most of it's up here.'

Shamee was satisfied to see Mai's startled and confused expression.

'Hear it growing?' Weevil bragged. 'The more time you waste, the more powerful it becomes.'

Yami was aware of that. Yugi was getting anxious. _If I don't come up with something quick, I'm not just going to lose this duel, I'll lose my only chance to save my grandpa._ Yami sent a mental wave of reassurance to the boy._ And there's no way I can let that happen!_ That was better.

'Tick, tock, tick, tock!' Weevil mocked as he drew a card. 'Just four more turns until my ultimate insect emerges. And you can stop worrying about how you're going to destroy it and start worrying about how it's going to destroy you.'

Yami drew the Beaver Warrior. _Maybe I should prepare a defence in case I really can't stop that thing._ He laid it face down in defence mode.

'Ha!' Weevil scoffed as he drew. 'You're wasting your turn! No defence will save your life point once my Moth is out!'

Yami drew. _I have to figure out a way to turn this duel around! Weevil's pretty confident that whatever's growing in that Cocoon is unbeatable, but there's gotta be some way to pop that thing open and wipe that smirk off his face. But how?_

'Hang in there, Yugi!' Téa called from below.

'You gotta win this for your grandpa!' Joey called. 'He's counting on you!'

'I know he is,' Yami said.

'Then you can't keep letting this little creep push you around,' Joey insisted. 'Yugi, you gotta get fired up!'

As he said that, Yami got an idea. And Yugi was just as quick. _Wait! That's it! Get fired up!_

Shamee had relaxed her posture. Sharee's body wasn't used to it and she was getting tired. There were a few memories, in her vessel mind, of the girl cracking open normal cocoons with her bare hands and one of two things happening.

'So do you guys sit around and work out these lame cheers or do they just come to you?' Mai asked. 'I mean, don't you realise that your pep talk nonsense only distracts Yugi from the game.'

Téa tensed. 'How would you know?'

Shamee smirked. 'She doesn't.' She stepped around the boys and put a placidating hand on Téa's shoulder but still addressed Mai. 'I noticed it before. You're cynical and lonely. You don't know what it's like to have friends so you don't understand what's going on.'

'Uh.' Mai flinched and then turned her head away.

'For example.' Shamee pointed. 'Yugi got an idea from what Joey just said.'

'Huh?' Mai looked back up.

Yami Yugi was giving his friends a thumbs up.

Tristan and Joey started cheering.

'All right!' Téa turned. 'Well, Mai, from the look on Yugi's face, I'd say that having friends just did help him out. So there!' She stuck her tongue out.

Sharee crowed in her mind. Shamee smiled indulgently at both girls. _**Kids!**_

'Go, Curse of Dragon!' Yami threw the card down and the monster materialised on the field. 'Take flight! And I'll combine it…' He threw down another. '…with this magic card. Attack with Dragon Flame!' The fire shot out of the Curse of Dragon's mouth and engulfed the whole of Weevil's side of the field.

'What do you think you're doing?' Weevil demanded. 'You know your little firefly can't hurt my Cocoon!'

Yami chuckled.

'What's so funny?' Weevil demanded.

Yami smirked. 'Whoever said I was aiming for your Cocoon? I combined my Burning Land magic card with my Curse of Dragon to destroy the forest all around your Cocoon.'

'No Forest?' Weevil drew back. 'That means I lose my field power bonus!'

'Exactly,' Yami said. 'Your Cocoon was too tough to attack directly, but without its field power bonus it's just a big target.'

The Cocoon's defence points dropped down to 2000. Weevil cried out in shock.

'Now, let's try this again,' Yami said. 'Gaia, the Fierce Knight, attack!'

The monster charged. This time when the lance hit the Cocoon, it popped loudly. Below him, his friends cheered.

'He did it!' Téa cried.

'Popped it open like a zit!' Joey pumped his fist into the air.

Weevil sniggered. Yami stared at it. That thing was still alive.

Shamee guessed she should've figured.

'Is it still alive?' Téa asked.

The thing exploded out of the Cocoon.

'It's still…' Joey stumbled. '…still moving.'

'You're surprised?' Mai asked.

Shamee rolled her eyes and wandered over to her previous position. 'Did you guys ever open any normal cocoons when you were little?'

'No,' Joey said.

'I don't think so,' Téa answered.

'Nope.' Tristan shook his head.

'I did,' Shamee said. Actually, Sharee did. 'If it was a small one, a half-evolved caterpillar would fall from it, dead. If it was a big one, a butterfly would come out. Not completely changed but enough so it could survive.'

Yami supposed that made sense but he was sure he'd never seen a cocoon beyond a spider's one. And…something…something that he had no time to focus on told him that he never would have gotten his hands on one anyway.

'I'm impressed that you pierced my Cocoon, Yugi,' Weevil crowed. 'But still you were unable to stop the evolution of my ultimate insect, the Great Moth!'

'But I thought it took five turns,' Yami said. He was making it sound like this was a fully evolved beast.

Weevil sniggered. 'So you stopped him one turn early. He's still strong enough to beat you.'

Yugi sighed in his mind. _Weevil turned this match around once more, but I'm not giving up!_

Weevil continued laughing. 'So, Yugi, feeling outclassed yet? Or perhaps you're enjoying your first major-league duelling loss.'

Yami composed his features. 'You may have gotten your prized monster onto the field, Weevil, but I'll still find a way to squash that oversized bug.'

Weevil barked out a laugh. 'You'll pay for that stinging jab with your _life_ _points_!'

'Duel!' Yami ordered.

'Great Moth, take flight!' Weevil commanded.

Yami watched it rise. 'So be it! We'll settle this in the skies.'

Weevil's eyes ran over the battlefield. 'I think it's high time I pay back your Knight for demolishing my Cocoon!'

_My Knight! He's the heart of my attack force. There's no way I can afford to lose him._ But Yami had a card in his hand that could save him.

'This is it, Yugi!' Weevil cried. 'My Moth will blast your defences, slay your Knight and crush your Dragon from the sky!'

'Not if I can help it, Weevil!' Yami threw down the Polymerisation card.

'But that's just it,' Weevil insisted. 'You can't help it! Moth, Hurricane Attack!'

The Moth attacked and face down card was the first to go. 'No! My Beaver Warrior!' He gritted his teeth. 'My defence.'

'It's hopeless!' Weevil announced. 'Nothing can stand against the gale-force winds of my Moth Hurricane! Your Knight will be totally blow away!'

The horse nickered as it was destroyed, but Yami knew better.

Weevil laughed. 'That'll teach him to mess with my Cocoon!'

'Don't count on it,' Yami said.

That wiped the smirk off of Weevil's face. 'Huh?'

'Weevil, you were so busy fawning over your Moth, you didn't notice I played a Polymerisation card.' Yami held it up.

Weevil drew back. 'But…I thought…'

'If I have two compatible monsters on the field, I can use my Polymerisation card and fuse them into one ultimate creature,' Yami said.

Weevil growled. 'I'm not some beginner. I know what fusion does.'

'Then you must know it increases their attack points,' Yami said. 'My fused Knight combo is now powerful enough to go head-to-head with your Great Moth.'

But Weevil began laughing again. 'I wouldn't be so sure about that! Look again.'

Yami did. 'What? No…My Knight, he's loosing points. And fast. But how? And why?'

Weevil sniggered. 'It's poison, Yugi. Poison particles from my Great Moth. Each time it uses its Hurricane attack, it releases tonnes of these tiny toxic particles. And your Knight combo is being poisoned by the deadly touch.' He shrieked in laughter.

_My Knight is losing points with each passing second. But how do I protect him against the very air itself._ Yami looked down and winced. _There's nothing here in my hand that can help him. But I know my grandpa's deck won't let me down._ He drew and, sure enough, there it was. 'Yes! Ready to be rained out, Weevil?' Yami laid the card down. 'Mokiyu, the Magical Mist!'

Weevil's laughter cut off and he drew back. Rain began to fall on the field. 'No! My poison! You're washing it all away!'

'That's right,' Yami said. 'Magical Mist washes the field clean.'

'No fair!' Weevil complained. 'I was about to win and you save yourself with a little drizzle?'

Yugi was on the same page as him. _It's true. I saved my Knight, but that's not all I did._

Weevil got the smirk back on his face. 'All right then. You may have stopped my poison attack but I promise you've only won a brief reprieve. Because my next move is one you won't be able to think your way out of! Brace yourself for my Ultimate Insect's ultimate attack! Great Moth, Tornado of Doom!'

The attack begun and Yami sensed the power within. Evenly matched attack points or not, this would wipe his monster out. If his life points dropped to zero, he wouldn't be able to implement his strategy. Quickly calculating, Yami realised he would be left with fifty points. Enough.

The attack shot out and hit the Knight.

'A direct hit!' Weevil began laughing. 'Your little rainstorm didn't save you from that one now, did it? Your Knight is toast…and you're almost out of life points.'

Shamee had noticed. You didn't know a guy like Yami for as long as she'd known him without getting some kind of knowledge about him. And she only had to look over the field to know what was up.

'Yugi, keep fighting!' Joey called. 'You can come back from this!'

'You're all delusional,' Mai said.

'No,' Téa argued. 'Joey's right. Yugi never gives up, and we never give up on him.'

'You're nuts,' Mai stated. 'Weevil has totally annihilated Yugi's strongest monster combo. He's down to fifty measly life points. He can't win so do me a favour and stop yapping.'

'Ohh,' Shamee said, cutting off whatever Téa was about to say. Sharee really was a bad influence on her. Wasn't it supposed to be the other way around? All right. Looked like that was fine. Shamee turned around and faced Mai, smirking. 'What about a little bet on that? You think Weevil will win. I think Yugi will. Twenty bucks.'

Mai rolled her eyes. 'You're on.'

'Good.' Shamee turned back to the duel.

'Yugi doesn't have a chance,' Mai said. 'I've been telling you all along. He wastes too much of his time listening to you losers. Weevil keeps his mind on the game.'

'Then why didn't he see this coming?' Tristan asked. Everyone except Shamee looked at him in surprise.

'See what coming?' Joey and Téa asked.

'Whatever it is Yugi's grinning about,' Tristan said.

They all looked up. Yami Yugi was standing there, a deeply amused expression on his face.

'You're right,' Joey said. 'He's got a big smile.'

Téa blinked. 'He's not smiling. I think he's laughing.'

'No way,' Mai said.

Evidentially, Shamee was the only one of them who noticed.

Yami was laughing, but not loudly like Weevil did. No, he was chuckling like he always did when someone made an oversight and hadn't even realised it.

Weevil was getting unnerved. 'Hey, hey! What are you so happy about? Stop that sniggering!'

Yami closed his eyes. 'Weevil, I know it will be very difficult for you to accept losing a duel.' He opened his eyes. 'Especially after spending so much time finding inventive ways to cheat. But if you thought bending the rules would help you win this match, you're wrong.'

'No!' Weevil insisted. 'This is a trick!'

'You play dishonestly so you expect the same of your opponent.' Yami took the card from his hand. 'But I duel with honour, Weevil, and that makes all the difference.'

Weevil gritted his teeth. 'You got nothing!'

'Here's what I've got.' Yami laid the card in attack mode. 'The mighty Summoned Skull!' The monster appeared on the field out of a vortex. 'This is it, Weevil. Your ultimate insect won't withstand my next attack.'

From the look on Weevil's face, he hadn't noticed. Shamee had. Yami had just heard her making a bet with Mai. It must've been one of Sharee's tendencies: when you know you will win a bet, go and make some money. Ra knew she'd never really been into wagering when they'd been alive, he was certain.

Yami chuckled. 'There's something you overlooked, Weevil. My Magical Mist is still dampening this entire field.'

The shock on Weevil's face was refreshing. He gasped. 'He's right! Everything's wet. My Great Moth is totally soaked!'

Yami finished the explanation. 'And my Summoned Skull attacks with electricity, making your water-logged bug a giant-sized lightning rod. I hope you're in the mood for some fireworks, Weevil, because all this water boosts my monster's electrical attack by one thousand points.' The Summoned Skull's attack points flew up to 3500. 'Summoned Skull, Lightning Strike!'

The Summoned Skull hissed and launched its electrical attack. The Great Moth was hit with a thunderous boom. It fell to the ground in a fiery mess. Weevil's life points dropped to zero.

'It's over,' Yami said. 'I've won.'

'No!' Weevil denied it. 'Impossible! My Moth's unbeatable!'

Below him all his friends cheered. Shamee even gave her version of a cheer: a great big smug grin. And he had a feeling that didn't have much to do with the fact that she was now twenty dollars richer.

Shamee smiled smugly. She turned and walked over to Mai, who was staring up in disbelief. She managed to pull herself out of her shock though and say, 'Impressive. I didn't think Yugi could ever beat Weevil.'

'Word of advice,' Shamee said. 'Don't judge someone until you know what's inside. And I believe you owe me some cash.' She held her hand out.

Yami stood over Weevil as he threw a tantrum.

'But I'm the Regional Champion!' he insisted. 'The Regional Champion!'

Yami took a couple of steps closer. 'You call yourself a champion, Weevil, but you only won your duels through lying and cheating.' He wrapped his hand around the star chips he'd just won from the little worm. 'True champions, they play with honour. They play fair.'

'Ah, don't waste your breath on this sneaky slug!' Joey told him, causing Weevil to flinch away from him too. 'He's a duelling disgrace. And I hereby relieve him of his duelling gauntlet.'

They left him then, wandering out of the area. Yami slid the two new star chips into the slots. 'There. Four star chips so far, but I still need to win six more. Ten star chips will gain me entry into that castle where they're holding my grandfather prisoner. And where I'll battle Pegasus once and for all.'


	6. First Duel

DISCLAIMER: If you recognise it from somewhere else, it isn't mine.

* * *

**First Duel**

Sharee walked with her friends. They were looking for someone to take Joey on. But she was actually thinking about something else, something she didn't think the others – barring maybe the two dead Egyptians – had thought of.

They stopped and Joey clapped his fist into his palm. 'Okay. Bring 'em on! I'm itching to duel and I'm taking on the next player we see!' He ran ahead to the edge of the hill.

'You know, I'm not so sure Joey's up to this,' Téa said.

'Yeah, there are tournament-level players here,' Tristan agreed. 'But don't you think he's smart enough to realise…'

Joey got there, turned around and raised his hand. 'Here I stand, the next Duel Monsters champion!'

The four of them dropped their heads.

Téa sighed in exasperation. 'He needs a reality check.'

'Guess he's about as smart as he looks,' Tristan said.

'Yeah.' Sharee shook her head. 'While you guys find someone he can _actually _beat, I'm gonna go set some animal traps.' She turned and started to walk away.

'Why?' Yugi asked.

Sharee stopped and looked over her shoulder. 'Because if we don't get food another way, we'll have to get it the old fashioned way: hunt, kill, cook. I'll do the hunting and killing. You can cook.'

Sharee headed off. She disappeared into the uninhabited part of the forest, wandering closer to the castle. Before they actually got in there, she could get away with just about anything because Pegasus wanted her Millennium Bandanna.

Sharee had been prepared for this and she pulled her backpack from her back once she'd climbed a tree that looked good for animals. As soon as she thought she was high enough, she started setting the trap up. She may not have spent a lot of time in forests, but she did know how to catch good meat.

Besides, her backpack was a little too small for her to bring a bow and quiver of arrows.

As she slipped over the areas needed, Sharee was fully aware of it. Maximillion Pegasus was a civilised gentleman, the soul-snatching and Millennium Item acquisition cast aside. He indulged in all of the hobbies which Sharee thought generally pointless.

Wine-sipping, croquet, collecting (which was worth a cringe), painting – word had it he painted the designs on all of the duel monsters cards. The only "upper class" pursuit Sharee thought worth the time of day was hunting. Before there were people whose trade was to do it for you, you had to hunt to eat.

The final trap set, Sharee hopped down from the tree. It'd taken longer than she was hoping. All the same, she wasn't sure where her friends had vanished off took. Thankfully, she had a built-in radar.

_**Oh, I'm a built-in radar now, am I?**_ Shamee was only acting offended but Sharee knew she really found it all amusing.

_Shut up. Where are they?_

Shamee seemed to find something worthy of groaning but gave Sharee the directions. She followed them down into the fields. When she did find them, she saw what had annoyed Shamee. Joey was duelling Mai. And something…was weird.

'How was he talked into that?' she asked herself but listened to what Mai was saying.

'…Someone can be your best friend today and your worst enemy tomorrow.'

'Let's not start this again, please!' Sharee groaned.

Mai shot her a glare.

'Once the tournament forces you to face each other in a duel, where's your friendship, then?' Mai asked. 'That why the only person a duellist can trust is himself. I hope that your defeat today teaches you that lesson kid.'

'Poison tongue,' Sharee said.

'He's loosing it!' Tristan exclaimed.

'He needs help!' Téa insisted. 'Yugi, help him!'

_**She's right! We better take over!**_

Sharee internally nodded and stepped back, allowing Shamee to take control of her body and she saw the Millennium Puzzle glow brightly as Yugi's emotions made him unknowingly hand the control over to Yami.

As soon as Shamee took control of the body, something started bothering her.

'Don't listen to her, Joey,' Yami said. 'We're here to help you, just like you're always there for us.'

'Wha…?' With that one word, Mai established that she hadn't seen the transformation before. She heard the change of voice – from the voice of a child to one of a man – and she couldn't make sense of it. A bit more observant than most.

'Huh?' Joey had been more surprised with that sentence coming out and cutting through his doubt over the voice change.

Shamee nodded. 'Trust us on this, she's just trying to divide and conquer.'

'That's a strategy that's been used for centuries.' The Millennium Eye glowed on the Yami's forehead, invisible to the mortal eye. 'Believe us. We know.'

Joey's respond was sure. 'When you guys get that look in your eyes, I believe everything you say.'

Mai laughed, but Shamee could feel she was very nervous. 'Do you really think Yugi wants you to be the grand prize winner?' She smirked smugly. 'He's a duellist too, you know. To win, you'll eventually have to take him on.'

'She's right. We will have to duel, but…' Shamee felt Joey's heart go over everything that was one the line for both of them and watched as he muttered to himself. Joey jammed his eyes shut. Shamee heard him say, 'I just gotta concentrate on how to win the game!'

Shamee refocused on what was bothering her as Joey stood there, trying to work everything out. It took her two seconds and she looked at Yami. He met her gaze and she tapped the side of her nose.

Yami inhaled once and then nodded. They both saw Joey lift his head slightly. Shamee would never be able to understand why modern-day humans had to close their eyes to get a smell.

Mai went on, cocky as ever. 'Let's go, kid! It's your turn.'

'That's it.' Joey opened his eyes. 'I see through your card trick!'

'Huh?' Shock and denial came over her face.

'You sprayed all your cards with different perfumes,' Joey said. 'And by smelling each different scent, you can tell which card is which even when they're face-down.'

Mai tried to say something, but nothing came out.

'So you don't have to look in order to play your cards,' Joey went on. 'That way you can psych the other player out.'

Mai drew back. 'No way! How could an amateur punk like you see through my aroma strategy? It's just impossible!'

Joey smiled. 'I gotta admit, Mai, you really had me buying into the whole "psychic powers" shtick. I was too freaked out to think things through because of that, but you're not a psychic at all! You're just a big fake!'

'All right, Joey,' Yami said.

'You get her, Joey!' Téa cheered.

'You the man!' Tristan called.

'Yugi, you were right,' Joey called down.

Now Mai was getting angry. 'Just because you saw through my little psychic act doesn't mean you're going to be able to defeat me in a duel!'

'I think you're wrong,' Joey said. 'Before you were winning by confusing me and trying to pit me against my friends. But now my mind is clear. I know who I can trust. All you've got left is your cheap tricks and I'm won't fall for 'em anymore.'

Mai drew back.

'I'm going to blast your Harpies out of the sky with this.' Joey drew out the Baby Dragon and laid it down in defence mode.

'Good card, Joey,' Yami called.

'Baby Dragon!' The monster appeared on the field.

Mai laughed. 'That wimpy card is your grand play? I only wish it was worth some more so when I devastate you it would do more damage to your life points.' She smirked. 'My card will be Elegant Egotist.' She held it up before she put it onto play. 'Its magic will make duplicates of my Harpy Lady.'

'Oh, no!' Joey cried.

There were now three Harpies on the field. 'Harpy Lady one…two…three.'

'It's three times the trouble!' Joey insisted.

Yami watched this with a critical eye. For all her talk, Mai was making a very amateur mistake. A quickly glance over at Shamee and he could see she'd spotted it as well. The two modern-day kids were talking behind him.

'Now what?' Téa asked. 'He was struggling when there was only one.'

'Don't give in, Joey,' Tristan called. 'You've still got all kinds of moves left!'

'Really?' Téa turned to him. 'What moves would those be?'

'How would I know?' he responded. 'As an expert. Ask Yugi.' They both turned to him.

'It's Joey's duel,' Yami said. 'He has to figure it out.'

Joey muttered to himself but they still heard him. 'I don't have any cards strong enough to beat three Harpy Ladies.'

'Ha, ha!' Mai crowed. 'And I'm going to keep using the magic of Elegant Egotist to double my Harpies again and again each turn! But while my Harpies multiply I can't attack you, so it's your move. Of course, you'll soon be up against an army!'

'An army of Harpies?' Joey asked. 'How the heck do I fight an army?'

Yami saw he needed the help. 'Don't give up, Joey!' He waited until his friend looked at him. 'Think hard about her strategy. She's been using only one monster card and strengthening that one monster card with many magic cards.' His eyes narrowed. 'But there's a serious flaw in her duelling strategy, Joey.'

'Using magic on one card? That's true.' Joey looked at the Harpies. 'She's just been juicing up the Harpy Ladies every turn. But if she has mostly magic cards, maybe the Harpy Ladies are her only monsters. I bet if I can just defeat her Harpies, she won't have any monsters left to play!'

'That's right, Joey,' Yami said. 'Now, think. What card in your deck will help you win?'

'Which of my cards?' Joey repeated. 'You tell me. Wait! I think maybe you did.' He looked down at his hand.

Mai was looking bored. 'If I had known how long it was going to take you to make a move, I would've brought a magazine.'

Joey reached for his deck, his hand shaking. If he doubted, he wouldn't draw the card he needed. _**Trust in your cards, Joey! Trust in yourself!**_ Yami projected his own confidence into Joey's heart and Shamee quickly acted as the conduit.

Joey drew and then, quite comically, peeked at the card he'd pulled. He broke out in a grin. 'All right!' He threw the card down. 'It's the Time Wizard!' The creature appeared on the field.

'Hm?' Mai blinked at it. 'What good is that thing?'

'Don't you know?' Joey asked. 'The Time Wizard can make time go faster, causing my Baby Dragon to grow into A Thousand Dragon.'

Yami smiled knowingly. 'Right, Joey. And that's not the only effect your Time Wizard will have.'

'Time Magic!' The Time Wizard's voice echoed across the field. A vortex appeared and the Joey's monster went in.

'Baby Dragon…' Joey called. '…transform into A Thousand Dragon!'

The vortex vanished and a large dragon sat where the Baby one had been.

'So now you have a bigger dragon? Big deal! My Harpy Ladies still have greater attack power! Attack it my three Harpy sisters!' But they couldn't. 'What? What happened to my Harpy Ladies? They've gotten so old!' And their attack points dropped all the way down to 1300.

Shamee and Yami both chuckled and he spoke. 'I warned you. A millennium has passed on the playing field and your Harpy Ladies have become old and decrepit.' His eyes narrowed and the smirk on his face widened.' Face it, Mai. Time's running out for you and your ladies.'

'I believed!' Joey cried. 'And the cards came through for me! Awesome. Go, Thousand Dragon!' The monster roared as it leapt into the air and flew at the Harpies. 'Attack with Inferno Flame Breath!'

Fire shot out of its nostrils and burned the Harpy Ladies to dust. Mai cringed and her life points dropped from 2000 to 0. Behind Yami, Tristan and Téa cheered. Joey turned to them.

'Thanks guys!'

Yami and Shamee both gave him a thumbs up.

For her part, Mai leaned on her side of the duelling arena. 'How? How could I ever lose to such an amateur?'

'Hey, Mai,' Joey called and waited for her to look up at him. 'I tried to tell you. There's more to Duel Monsters than just kicking the other guy's butt. If you're ever going to be a real champion, you've gotta learn to care about someone – other than yourself. Isn't that right, Yugi?' He looked down at him.

Yami nodded and he and Shamee relinquished control of the bodies. He knew Shamee had just gone into her Chamber of the Mind with a chuckle. Having being with Sharee longer, she had her ways.

But Yami stood at the door of his Chamber of the Mind and smiled as he heard Yugi's thoughts. _I'm proud of you, Joey. All your hard work and training paid off. You went from a guy with nothing but eagerness and attitude to a winning duellist who battles with his head…and his heart._


	7. Attack From the Deep

DISCLAIMER: If you recognise it from somewhere else, it isn't mine.

AUTHOR WARNING: There is a graphic description of hunting animals and preparing them for human consumption in this. If this disturbs you, don't read it.

* * *

**Attack From The Deep**

'Woo-wee!' Joey cheered. 'Four stars!' He sniggered. 'This is so awesome! I can't believe it actually happened! Am I cool or what?' He started laughing.

'Is there a time limit on how long he gets to crow?' Téa asked.

Sharee giggled. 'Aw, cut him some slack.'

'Yeah,' Tristan said. 'Did you ever think Joey would actually beat Mai in a duel? I mean, Joey! Who would've thought?'

Yugi turned around. 'I knew he'd do it. I'm really proud of you, Joey.'

'Yeah!' Joey was cut off as his stomach rumbled. 'Aw, all that duelling made me hungry. Did any of you guys remember to bring any food with you?'

'Sorry, Joe,' the other four said.

Joey groaned. 'What were we thinking coming here with no food? How are we going to get through the rest of the competition without anything to eat?'

'That's a good question, Joey. This duelling really takes it out of you and I haven't seen any burger stands or restaurants since we got here.' Yugi turned to Sharee. 'Wait, you set animal traps, didn't you? Do you think you caught any food?'

'I can go and see,' Sharee said.

'You better hurry up, then,' Téa insisted. 'I've gotta have my five basic food groups or else…it's metabolic meltdown!'

'All right, all right!' Sharee turned and headed off. 'You don't have to bite my head off.'

'Do I have to wait?' Joey groaned and then he sniffed. 'No, wait!' He turned and pointed. 'I smell something cooking that-a-way!' He took off. 'See you!' They watched him go.

'He's hallucinating,' Téa said.

'Don't be so sure,' Tristan responded. 'You know it wasn't his brain that beat Mai, it was his nose.'

'Should we leave where Sharee's going to find us?' Yugi asked as they started following him.

'It'll be fine,' Téa said. 'She found us during the duel. And she always says she can find anything or anyone.'

Sharee was glad to find that a few of her traps had snagged some animals. Her skill wasn't as bad as she thought. She pulled her slingshot out from her back pocket, where it was tucked under her jacket. Sharee grabbed a stone off the ground and loaded it in. Drawing the launcher back, she let it fly. This was how she killed her prey.

_**You do that well. Are you sure you never lived in my time?**_

Sharee chuckled and sat down. _Pretty sure._ She started working on the birds. She pulled a carefully concealed hand-axe out of her bag and started chopping their heads off. Then it was string to let the blood dry out and plucking the birds.

_**You know, your actions just contradicted what you said. I am certain that most teenagers of the modern world don't catch, kill, behead, pluck…and gut birds with their bare hands.**_

If she'd been standing next to her, Sharee would have looked at her. As it was, she just stood there, looking at the handful of bird innards in her hand. She dropped them and chuckled to herself. _Maybe not, but this is me. Most modern-day teenagers wouldn't find out they have a five thousand year old spirit in their head and take that as a reasonable explanation as to why they suffered blanks in their memory._

Shamee snorted in a very unladylike fashion. _**What is it you kids say? Touché.**_

Sharee smiled to herself and continued preparing the birds, making them unrecognisable to Yugi, Téa, Joey and Tristan as anything else but edible meat. Most people these days didn't like knowing where their food came from.

Once that was done, Sharee pulled a roll of tinfoil out of her bag and started wrapping the birds up. She finished by chopping off their feet. As she cleaned up her mess, she could just about see Shamee leaning over her shoulder.

_**Anyway, you certainly came prepared.**_

Sharee shrugged. _People have a natural assumption nowadays that they're going to be catered to if they go to an event. I didn't think so. I figured the others wouldn't think to bring food and I could either bring some and it wouldn't last long or bring what I needed to get it from what's already here._

Everything was almost the way she left it – not much she could do about the blood splatters except wait for rain and the insides had been thrown into the underbrush for critters to feast on. Sharee headed back. She just had to change her course because Shamee noticed they weren't where she left them.

Sharee found them by the ocean, Yami in a duel with Mako Tsunami. Sharee groaned and walked over to Joey, Tristan and Téa.

'Why is it every time I leave you guys alone, I come back and find someone duelling?' That said, Sharee handed the reins to Shamee.

Yami heard that comment of Sharee's right before Shamee took over. He had to agree. Each time, Sharee had gone to do something so far she'd returned to find someone duelling. But, unlike last time, she'd only come during the beginning.

'You're good, Mako,' Yami said. 'A brilliant opening play.' His life points dropped down to 1740.

'I am pleased you appreciate it,' Mako responded. 'Though I very much doubt your Imp did.'

'Well, now I know what I'm up against,' Yami mused to himself.

'Yes, the mighty ocean commands respect,' Mako agreed. 'As do the creatures that inhabit it.'

_Maybe I can prepare an attack that will destroy his creatures, even though I can't see them. _Yami took a card from his hand. 'Feral Imp.' He played the card and the monster appeared. _My Feral Imp should dispense with Mako's monsters. No matter how deep they're hidden in the sea._

'I am familiar with your Feral monster,' Mako said, taking a card from his hand. 'And its electrical attack. So for my next card, I play my Giant Jelly Fish.' The monster appeared on the field…except, like the others, he couldn't see it. It was submerged underwater. It screeched loudly.

Yami drew back. 'I don't like the sound of that!'

Mako laughed. 'That is the battle cry of my creature.'

'It'll be crying all right.' Yugi threw down the card. 'Once I combine my Feral Imp with the magical Horn of the Unicorn!' The Horn appeared on the Imp's head and it rose up, screeching. Electricity crackled around it and its attack points rose to 2000.

On the sidelines, Joey worked it out fast and explained it to Téa. She drew the rest of the conclusions.

'Magic Lightning, attack!' Yami called. The Imp attacked but there was a problem. 'But what is this? Nothing is happening. Mako still has all his life points.'

Mako laughed. 'Your strategy has failed, Yugi!' His Jelly Fish rose out of the water.

'How?' Yami demanded.

'As a sea duellist, I am well aware that water conducts electricity,' Mako said. 'So I played my Giant Jelly Fish. It has the magical ability to absorb all electrical attacks, protecting all of my ocean creatures.'

Yami ground his teeth.

The Jelly Fish screeched as it went back down. 'And now it's time for my counter-attack. Fiend Kraken, crush his Feral Imp!' The tentacles shot out of the ocean again and wrapped around the Imp, pulling it from the shore. 'Crush him now!' The Imp was destroyed. Mako laughed. 'Did you enjoy my Kraken's embrace?'

Yami pulled his focus in, thinking. And he wasn't the only one. _I've never duelled against creatures like these before. It feels as if I'm battling Mako's sea monsters and the awesome power of the ocean itself._

'Do any of your cards have the power to stand against my ocean pets?' Mako asked.

Yami laid a card down. 'I have the power of Silver Fang and I combine him with the magic of the Full Moon to double his ferocity.' Both cards appeared on the field. Silver Fang howled.

Mako laughed. 'Ferocious indeed, but the moon also controls the tides causing them to rise…'

Rat rot, he forgot about that. On the other hand…

'…allowing me to release my next creature.' Mako played another card. 'Rise, mighty Koriosheen!' The waves suddenly went flying up.

Yami drew back. 'What's this?'

A large water serpent rose up out of the water. 'Behold the colossal Koriosheen,' Mako said. 'A creature so enormous that when he rises up from the ocean depths, he creates his own tidal wave!'

'What a beast!' Yami exclaimed.

'Your wolf is brave, Yugi, but he will not stand before my Koriosheen's tidal attack.' As Mako said, the waves washed over the field and Yami's monster howled as into drowned.

'No!' Yami called. 'Silver Fang!' The water splashed up and he flinched back from it.

'Gone,' Mako said. 'But my Koriosheen's tidal attack did more than simply wash your wolf-cub away.'

'What?' Yami asked.

Mako pointed down. 'It considerably altered our playing field.'

Yami looked at it. 'My land! Koriosheen's attack wiped away nearly my entire land-based playing field.'

Mako laughed. 'You should consider yourself lucky, Yugi. In my previous duels, when Koriosheen attacks, absolutely nothing is left standing in its wake. I think it was quite considerate of my pet to leave you a little patch of dirt to stand on. Don't you? Or does it make you uneasy to be surrounded on all sides by the sea? All men give pause before the savage power of the mighty ocean, even the greatest of fishermen.'

Yami understood. 'You mean your father?'

Mako leaned over onto the duelling platform. 'My father was a great fisherman. He taught me my love of the sea, but…one day the sea…took him. I loved going out on the boat with my father, just the two of us and the big beautiful ocean, never suspecting that the sea would turn on us. My father saw the storm coming. He warned me that you should never take chances with the ocean. And father was right. Suddenly the calm, friendly sea turned into a raging maelstrom. It pitched our boat as if it were a toy. I couldn't hold on so my father tied me down to the mast. When the storm finally died out, our little boat had washed ashore. My father was right, I had been perfectly safe. But because he had stopped to tie me down, he had no time to secure himself to the mast. I thought I had lost him forever, but then I noticed that our life boat was missing.' He clenched his hand in a fist. 'I know my father is alive. So I will win this contest, buy a ship and search the seven seas until I find him. That is why I duel Yugi. That is why I must win and you must lose.'

'I understand, Mako, believe me,' Yami said. 'But I still can't let you win.'

Mako smiled. Down below, out of his peripheral vision, Yami saw Shamee nod and their friends talked amongst themselves.

_With so little land left to me, I've really gotta make this play count. I need something that will help me turn the tide. Something like this card._ Yami pulled it from his hand and played it in defence mode. 'Giant Soldier of Stone.' The soldier appeared. 'You may have shrunk my battlefield down to an island, Mako, but my Stone Soldier still gets a field power bonus.' Its attack points rose to 1690.

'Your massive monster can barely fit on that little rock, let alone do battle with my undersea attack force,' Mako said. He took a card from his hand. 'And his is surrounded on all sides by the ocean. Making him easy prey for…' He laid the card down. '…Great White Terror!' A shark monster appeared on the field, jumping to the surface before it submerged underwater again. 'This savage shark will lead my other creatures on an all-out ocean onslaught.'

Yami watched the sea monster come around and circle the Stone Soldier.

'This is it, Yugi,' Mako said. 'The duel is over but you played honourably.'

Yami smirked. 'You have been a fair and honourable opponent too, Mako, but I also duel with the fate of a loved one at stake. And I can't afford to lose.' He reached down. 'I switch my stone soldier to attack mode!'

'Attack mode?' Mako drew back. 'But why? He cannot attack my sea monsters while they are underwater!'

'But his target isn't your sea monsters,' Yami said. 'I'm having him attack a card I put on the field myself.' He pointed. 'The moon!'

'No!' cried Mako.

Yami gave the order. 'Now, Stone Soldier, destroy the moon!' The Stone Soldier thrust his sword up and struck the moon. It shattered and fell to pieces.

Mako cried out. 'What's happening? The tide…it's going out! But how?'

Yami folded his arms. 'As you yourself said before, Mako, it is the moon that controls the ocean's tide: its ebb and its flow. So I ordered my Stone Soldier to destroy the Moon, causing the ocean to reverse and recede. My Stone Soldier has beached all your sea monsters. You have no ocean left.'

'No,' Mako murmured. 'My precious fish.'

'And now I'll deliver the final blow.' Yami threw down the two cards. 'I combine my Curse of Dragon card with the magic of the Burning Land card, to wipe out your remaining life points.' The Curse of Dragon appeared on the field. 'Burning Land attack!' The Dragon shot fire out of its moth and burned all of Mako's monsters to little more but cinders, leaving the Stone Soldier unharmed. 'And that takes your life points down to zero!'

'No!' Mako cried out as just that happened.

'Way to go, Yugi!' Téa cheered as Shamee grinned. Joey and Tristan struck some poses which – Yugi's mind supplied – were supposed to be macho. Yami could see why Shamee was so exasperated at these kids so much. As a matter of fact, she was currently shaking her head at them indulgently. No matter how much affection they had for them, they were still kids. It reminded him of something…just in a different way.

'Destroying your own Moon card was a brilliant and unexpected move, Yugi,' Mako said. He smiled. 'What a grand duel! I salute you, my friend!'

Yami smiled back. 'This victory was not easily won, Mako. You're a great duellist yourself.'

Later, they stood on the shore.

'I am down to one star chip,' Mako said. 'But I will start over again.'

'And I bet you'll do fine,' Yami responded.

'You'd win that wager.'

Yami and Mako clasped hands. Odd how modern-day humans showed friendship. Behind him, Yami heard his friends talking.

'You know, I can't help but like that Mako,' Téa said. 'He's such a great guy and all. I hope he finds his father someday.'

Shamee chuckled.

Mako's stomach growled and he laughed. 'My friend, duelling you is hungry work. Time for Mako to fish again!' He leapt into the sea. 'Farewell!'

'Bye, Mako,' Téa said as she, Joey and Tristan blinked after him.

'Wish he'd bring us some fish,' Tristan mused.

'We've have to duel him again,' Yami pointed out. They all laughed. Yami waited until it died down before he said, 'Sharee, did you catch anything?'

For some reason, even when she knew different, Shamee had called him by his vessel's name. He assumed there was a reason for it. But until he knew what that was, he'd follow her rules.

'Couple of birds,' Shamee said.

'That sounds all right.' Yami turned and started leading them back into the forest. 'We'll cook them and that'll be lunch.'

'What, no instant food?' Joey asked.

Shamee rolled her eyes. 'Do I look like a waitress?'


	8. Everything's Relative

DISCLAIMER: If you recognise it from somewhere else, it isn't mine.

* * *

**Everything's Relative**

Shamee and Yami hadn't bothered to give their vessels back control. Both of them knew they needed to talk about it, the fact that they weren't even in their own bodies anymore. There were certain things about this society that Yami had to know. And, from the look on his face, he knew that.

Shamee was about to make an excuse when something caught her eye. She watched it for a couple of seconds and then stood up. 'Just a minute, I've spotted something. I'll be right back.' That said, Shamee took off.

The figure that she'd seen didn't move very fast so Shamee caught him after about a hundred paces. And she knew who it was before she even started the chase. All she wanted to know was quite reasonable, she was absolutely sure. She shot out from between two trees and grabbed his wrist, careful not to hurt him. His eyes widened when he saw she had him and he tugged against her grip but Shamee had held much bigger and stronger people down in her lifetime. A twelve year old boy was no problem. He had no escape.

'Mokuba Kaiba,' Shamee said. 'What are you doing here and…' She yanked the scarf from the front of his face. '…what's with the disguise?'

Mokuba looked startled at first. Then he yanked against Shamee's grip. She didn't let go though. He glared at her and gritted his teeth.

'It's not like I have a choice!' Mokuba snapped. 'Pegasus kidnapped me after Yugi broke Seto's spirit! He holed himself up in his room and wouldn't come out!'

Shamee sighed heavily. 'Yugi didn't break Kaiba's spirit. He beat him in a game where the winner is always the one who uses his heart, disguised as a duel, and then cast the evil part of him to the Shadow Realm.' She looked down at Mokuba's face, now somewhere between shocked and angry. 'Now, what was that about Pegasus kidnapping you?' A quick scan of his heart and Shamee knew Mokuba wouldn't run so she let him go.

'Pegasus wants to take over KaibaCorp,' Mokuba said.

'And kidnapping you is supposed to help how?' Shamee asked.

'The company by-laws,' Mokuba said. 'They require a living Kaiba heir to make any change of control legal. But I escaped the castle and now…Yugi insulted Seto's honour…'

'By defeating him?' Shamee shook her head. 'No. All he did was show Kaiba the Heart of the Cards. It's called humility and it's actually quite good for you…once you get over the shock.' She leaned over and clasped Mokuba on the shoulder. 'Listen close. I know a bit about sibling loyalty.' Actually Sharee did. 'Had it occurred to you that to get control of KaibaCorp, through a living heir, they first have to kill your brother.'

The shock and horror on Mokuba's face answered that for her. Shamee nodded. 'If it's not going to get you out of trouble, it can wait.'

**Kaiba Mansion**

Seto Kaiba had been working on his new duelling disks when the door was kicked open. He turned around. There were two guards in suits standing there. Really? Being attacked in his own home?

One of them pointed at him. 'Mr. Pegasus would like to have a word with you!'

Pegasus.

Should've known. In one swift move, Kaiba got the disks in their case, sealed it shut and kicked a chair into the goons, with the statement, 'You'll never take me alive!'

The one closest took a step forward and immediately tripped over the chair. He stumbled to his feet.

'After him!'

Kaiba ran to the window and crashed out through the glass, heading right for the ocean. If he was very lucky and even more talented, he could survive this fall. Something occurred to him as he went.

There were thugs crashing into his home. And they were sent by Pegasus. Come to think of it…Mokuba hadn't come knocking on the door, asking him to come out anytime recently.

_Could he be…?_

No! His little brother was a smart kid. He was almost as smart as Kaiba had been at that age. If some guys like that showed up, he'd know to run. He probably just hadn't been able to get back in the house, because if he'd come pounding on the door with that, Kaiba would have left the room without question.

_Nothing's more important than my little brother._

**Duellist Kingdom**

Yami leaned against the tree and listened to this. A hostile takeover of KaibaCorp and, at the same time, Pegasus had a duelling tournament. Coincidence? No. It was too large for that.

'So you mean, they kidnapped you to try and take over KaibaCorp?' Joey asked Mokuba. 'How does that work?'

'If my brother's still alive, it doesn't,' Mokuba said. 'But, if they kill him…'

Poor kid sounded dejected. Yami opened his eyes. 'Sharee?'

Shamee looked over at him. Her eyes glazed over for a second and then she looked at Mokuba. 'Don't worry. I don't think your brother will go down that easy.'

'But…what if…' Mokuba trailed off.

'Don't worry.' Yami straightened up and looked at the boy. 'All Pegasus will do will be to alert him to the problem and I promise I will reunite you with your brother.'

Yami could see it in Mokuba's eyes, that look people got when he made them a promise. A look filled with hope. He'd always liked that look. It reminded him of the little things that meant the world.

'And his word is better than Gospel.' Shamee pulled a small golden whistle out of her pocket. She handed it to Téa. 'Right. Next on the agenda, I need to talk to Yugi about something. If any goons try to grab Mokuba, use that. We'll hear it a mile away. Not that we'll be that far.'

Yami nodded. He and Shamee left their confused friends and the confused and hopeful twelve year old boy in the clearing. Yami knew what Shamee wanted to talk about. They came to an area outside of earshot.

Yami sat on a particularly large rock. 'This is about the vessels, isn't it?'

'I really wanted to talk to you about it sooner,' Shamee said. 'But I couldn't find the opportunity.'

'Understood.' Yami looked at her. 'The main thing I don't understand is why you seem to have better communication with Sharee than I do with Yugi.'

'Knowledge,' Shamee said. 'Sharee knows that I'm here. For a fact. Yugi would be a bit more sceptical.'

'Why?' Yami asked.

'Because this is a sceptical era,' Shamee said. 'If people see magic, they think it's a trick. They think there's some kind of mechanism operating. Except my vessel was raised on magic and monsters and she knows they're actually real. Yugi, on the other hand, would've been taught they only exist in fairy tales.'

'Fairy tales?' Yami asked.

'Yeah,' Shamee said. 'You know, those moral-driven stories for young children that always have a happy ending. Anything Yugi can't rationalise while you're in control of his body, by this logic, he forces himself to forget. Don't worry. It passes.'

'That's why we need to address each other by the names of our vessels at all times?' Yami asked.

Shamee nodded. 'That and it probably wouldn't be productive for certain people to find out who we really are.'

'Do we even know who we really are?' Yami asked.

Shamee scratched her head. 'If you don't know either, then no.'

Yami sighed and dropped his head. 'How did this sceptism of magic happen?'

Shamee frowned thoughtfully. 'Well, based on Sharee's historical knowledge, it was started by something called Christianity.'

'And what's that?' Yami asked.

'A belief in one God, and his balance point, the Devil. An idea that the afterlife is a state of either pure bliss, otherwise known as heaven, or one of pure torture. That's called hell. Which one you go to is supposed to depend on whether you were a bad person or a good one.' She paused. 'Oh, and the paranoid belief that magic is all evil.'

'Magic is only evil if you use it for such,' Yami stated.

'Yeah, paranoid.' Shamee sat down on the grass. 'Over time, for many, these religious superstitions became idle myths. The point is these kids come from a very different world from us. I had to adjust a lot of my behaviours when I united with Sharee, as I expect you'll have to do when Yugi works out you're there. Our basic morals are the same – don't steal, don't kill, don't lie – but our concepts of justice and the methods of enforcement are different. What we would call normal procedure, they would call going too far.'

'Going too far?' Yami asked. 'Such as?'

'The Mind Crush,' Shamee said. 'First time I did that in this body, I killed the guy. Not so bad to us. But Sharee established contact with me for the first time that night. She said, and I quote, "I get that you're from Ancient Egypt. You have an ancient concept of justice and that usually means a death penalty, but I'm not exactly that way inclined. Could you maybe, instead, just give them a nice, healthy scare?" And it was her body, so I supposed she had more say than me.'

Yami was surprised at that. 'That was…polite.'

Shamee chuckled. 'Well, she really appreciates the fact that I don't do anything with her body that she wouldn't do herself. And, evidentially, allowing the owner of the vessel control most of the time is a very polite way to possess someone.'

Yami paused and considered that. 'That's true, I suppose. Most spirits…'

A loud whistle cut through the air.

'Rat rot!' They both yelled at the same time and bolted toward the sound.

* * *

Yeah, I know it's short but I wanted this chapter to give an explanation to the characters of Sharee and Shamee.


	9. Duel With A Ghoul

DISCLAIMER: If you recognise it from somewhere else, it isn't mine.

* * *

**Duel With A Ghoul**

They moved faster than modern-day humans ever could hope to do, weaving through the forest. Despite the limitations of their vessels, they remembered the tricks. Shamee kept an inch behind Yami on his right side. They ran out of the forest to find Joey, Tristan and Téa facing off one of the guards, who had Mokuba by the arm.

'Let him go!' Yami ordered.

Something caught Shamee's eye and she turned her head. 'What in the name of the Nile?'

The rest of them looked. Everyone gasped, except for the guard. He laughed. 'Yeah, if you want me to give the kid back, you gotta duel him.'

On the duelling platform, it looked like Kaiba. It looked exactly like him. But the face was older and haggard, the skin darker yet sickly-looking. And there was no goodness in his eyes…or his heart.

The guard laughed. 'Yugi, you don't have a ghost of a chance beating Kaiba because this time he is a ghost!'

'A ghost?' Yami demanded.

'Stop it, Kimo!' Mokuba knew the guard.

'It's a fact,' Kimo said. 'Two witnesses saw him fall to his doom.'

Yami, Shamee, Téa, Tristan and Joey gasped.

'Liar!' Mokuba insisted. 'Take back what you said!'

'Get used to it. All that's left of Kaiba are your memories.' Kimo turned. 'Plus a very cranky ghost just looking for revenge.'

As Kimo had been talking, Shamee slipped closer and whispered in Yami's ear. He nodded and stepped forward. 'It's not him!'

'Well, he's seen better days,' Kimo said. 'It's time to duel with the ghoul.'

'It can't be,' Yami insisted. 'That guy's nothing but a fake. A trick by Pegasus.' He looked at the boy. 'Don't worry, Mokuba. I'll win your, freedom, then we'll find your brother.'

Yami stood on the duelling platform and looked across at "Kaiba".

'Yugi,' he said. 'You look like you've seen a ghost.'

'That's enough,' Yami snapped.

'I am no longer of this world,' "Kaiba" said. 'And it's all because of you.'

Yami growled.

'I could've had it all,' "Kaiba" went on, relentless. 'But when you beat me, you took more than just the match. You stole my life and destroyed my soul.'

Yami didn't buy into it. 'You're nothing but an impostor, so stop the lies and let's start the duel.'

'Fine with me.' "Kaiba"'s eyes narrowed. 'This time you won't beat my cards.'

'You might look like Kaiba,' Yami said. 'But there is no way you can imitate his deck.'

"Kaiba" smirked. 'You mean _my_ deck.'

Yami narrowed his eyes and ground his teeth.

'Beat him, Yugi!' Mokuba called. 'He's nothing but a fake!'

'Yeah!' Joey joined in. 'That ghost don't even look like Kaiba!'

'That's right.' Téa rushed to correct herself. 'Wait. I mean, it's not a ghost and it's not Kaiba.'

'Get him, Yugi!' Tristan called.

Yami nodded. He turned his attention to "Kaiba" because he felt the mental vibrations that preceded thought communication. And they were coming from the impostor. Kaiba had never believed in that stuff. He didn't even believe in the Heart of the Cards.

_Yugi, I know you can hear me. I know you're sensing my thoughts. And I know that you can see the truth. I am Kaiba. But this time you're duelling someone who's got nothing to lose._ But Shamee was accurate. Even though it seemed like it was him, Yami had gotten a very clear message from her: Mokuba is the dearest living thing to Kaiba's heart.

'Kimo, once I beat Yugi, Pegasus can have Kaiba Corporation,' "Kaiba" said. 'All I want is revenge.'

Kimo smirked.

"Kaiba" turned to Yami. 'Three stars says I win.'

'Fine by me,' Yami said. 'That means when the duel's done, I'll have six.'

'Let's duel.' Kaiba held up his card. 'Guess I'll go first.' He laid a card down. 'And I'll start off with the Hitopsumi Giant.'

The monster appeared on the field. Yami stared at it.

'Hm,' "Kaiba" said. 'Is something wrong? It's your turn to move, Yugi.'

_The Hitopsumi Giant is how Kaiba began our last duel._ Yugi was definitely as startled as he was.

'There's a card just like that in my brother's deck,' Mokuba said.

'Hey!' Joey called. 'Just because it's the same card doesn't mean it's the same deck!'

Shamee's comment was what got his attention. 'And even if it is, that just means that Pegasus took the deck.' Then she had her cell phone out and was dialling, calling someone for one reason or another.

That was something to consider. _He's trying to confuse me by making the same opening move that Kaiba did. But it'll have the same result._ 'I'll start with this card.' Yami laid the card down in attack mode. 'Go, Dark Magician! With an attack strength of 2500!' His favourite monster appeared on the field. 'Dark Magic attack!'

The Dark Magician attacked and the Hitopsumi Giant broke to pieces.

'So much for your Giant,' Yami said as his opponent's life points fell to seven hundred.

"Kaiba" chuckled. 'You're as strong as ever, Yugi.'

'Did you see that?' Joey demanded from below. 'That carbon copy Kaiba is laughing!'

'It's funny how things have come full circle, Yugi,' "Kaiba" said. 'What are you thinking in that feeble brain of yours right now. I bet I know. You've come to the conclusion that, no matter what, there's no way you can win. And you couldn't be more right. Even a simpleton like you know knows that I must be Seto Kaiba. And once you accept that fact, then you may as well accept defeat.'

'I don't care who you are,' Yami said. 'You're going to lose to me just the same.'

'But, Yugi, you barely beat me the last time we duelled,' "Kaiba" said. 'And this time your big advantage is…gone.'

'What do you mean?' Yami demanded.

"Kaiba" chuckled. 'Exodia. You've lost Exodia.'

Yami froze. How did he know that?

'You could only beat me with Exodia in your deck and, without it, you can only lose.'

**Kaiba Mansion**

The door to the underground room opened and Seto Kaiba stepped in. He flicked a couple of switches and booted up the computer. That was the main purpose of this place. Sitting down, he pulled the headgear on.

The computer interface instigated. 'Running identity verification protocol. Please state your name.'

'Seto Kaiba.'

The rest of the monitors booted up. 'I thought I'd seen it all, but having to break into your own house?'

'It's too long of a story for right now,' Kaiba said.

'Too long a story?' The computer stated loading. 'Well, maybe I'm not in such a talkative mood myself right now!'

'I find that hard to believe,' Kaiba said.

'Such a smart guy!' An image of his corporation building appeared on the screen. That was followed by a chart appearing. 'While you were off gallivanting, a hostile takeover of Kaiba Corporation has begun.'

'I know,' Kaiba said.

An image of Duellist Kingdom with a small picture of Pegasus appeared. 'At the same time, Maximillion Pegasus kicked off his Duel Monsters Championship at the Duellist Kingdom.' Kaiba was surprised to see a profile picture of Yugi appear. 'If Yugi Moto can be defeated by Pegasus or a competitor that represents him, then the new Kaiba Corporation Board has promised him control of the company!'

That made sense. 'He won't win. Yugi is unbeatable. His deck has Exodia.' The memory of the only defeat he'd ever suffered still had Kaiba grinding his teeth. His three Blue Eyes White Dragons…

'Yeah, well…' The interface cut into his thoughts. 'Sometime after you lost to Yugi, he lost Exodia.'

'No way!' Kaiba couldn't believe it. He'd lost Exodia?

'When it rains, it pours.' Then, to Kaiba's horror, a picture of his brother appeared on the screen. 'Pegasus knows all about the Corporation by-laws that require a living Kaiba heir to make any change of control legal. Mokuba's his prisoner. And with you out of the way, it's likely he'll exert all kinds of pressure to make your brother do what he wants, one way or another.'

Kaiba's eyes narrowed. His mind turned all this over in his head. He had to stay calm if he was going to save Mokuba. Pegasus was cunning and manipulative and he never seemed to lose his cool.

'So now you know. What are we going to do?'

Kaiba had that worked out. 'They'll keep my brother safe, at least until the take-over's complete, so I've gotta make sure Pegasus doesn't defeat Yugi in a duel no matter what. I'm not going to give up Kaiba Corporation without a real fight. It's take-over time – by me. We're going to hack right into Pegasus's computer mainframe. Next stop: the Duellist Kingdom.'

**Duellist Kingdom**

This was getting on Yami's nerves. 'You here to play head games or Duel Monsters? It's time for your move.'

"Kaiba" chuckled. 'And it's gonna blow your mind. This next card's a blast from the past, Yugi – with the emphasis on "blast"!' He turned the card around and Yami was met with the sight of the Blue Eyes White Dragon.

Yami gasped and drew back. Not good! Was Kaiba really dead? Or, and he thought this much more likely, was Shamee right?

'I attack with the Blue Eyes White Dragon!' "Kaiba" threw down the card and the rarest Dragon in Duel Monsters appeared on the field with a loud roar.

'Only…one deck has got that card,' Joey said from below him.

'That means…what they say…could it be true?' Mokuba asked.

"Kaiba" laughed. 'Looks like the advantage is mine!'

_So this really is Kaiba's deck. There's no other explanation. But does that mean that Kaiba…Kaiba is really…?_ Yami wanted to reassure the boy. Shamee knew what she was talking about. But Yugi didn't know he was there. He wasn't ready to acknowledge it, so Yami would remain silent.

"Kaiba" cut into his thoughts. 'Don't worry, Yugi. My feeling's weren't hurt when you called me a liar. Now, admit that you were wrong!'

Yami gritted his teeth. No.

"Kaiba" chuckled again. 'Not having a real body isn't so bad. You would not believe what I save on food bills alone. But I still get to enjoy the finer things in life, like revenge. And I'm going to savour its sweet taste for a very long time.'

'Shut up!' Mokuba yelled emotionally. 'Please, someone make him go away! Make him go away!' He sobbed.

'Hah!' "Kaiba" scoffed. 'Almost breaks my heart, if I had one.'

That was enough for Yami. Kaiba may have been harsh and mocking of everyone else, but he loved his little brother. He would never do anything to hurt him and, if he was suffering, Kaiba would be the first to bring harm to the boy's antagonist. Even though Yami hadn't seen much interaction between the two brothers, that had been made clear by the way Mokuba acted. That sort of behaviour always went both ways.

Sharee's cell phone rang.

**Kaiba Mansion**

'We've easily broken through the Duellist Kingdom computer system.' A grid appeared over the image of the island.

'Too easy,' Kaiba said. 'O-kay. When it comes to computer duels, Pegasus has met his match. Now, it should be a piece of cake to find the field in which Yugi is duelling.'

The loading bar appeared. 'I'm looking, I'm looking!' A symbol popped up. 'Access denied?'

Kaiba was out of his chair and on his feet. 'What did you do wrong?'

'Don't blame me! I finally found the security and it's all around Yugi's data.'

Kaiba groaned and sat back down. 'I should've known.' He smirked. 'Fine by me. Pegasus, go ahead and give it your best shot. There isn't a computer system anywhere on Earth that I can't break into. Here's the thing. Every computer has a back door if you know where to look. And guess where we're gonna look?'

'Beats me.'

'It'll be quicker if I take over on manual for a while.' Kaiba started hitting the keys. Three images appeared and lines connected them. The first was of Duellist Kingdom, the second of a satellite and the third of a corporate building. 'Data from the duels is being beamed from the island to an orbiting Industrial Illusions satellite and back down to their mainframe. These transmissions are obviously highly encrypted. If we can somehow force the Industrial Illusions computer off-line, I'm sure their back-up systems won't have as much security.'

'Are you saying we can make their computer crash? From here? But how?'

'A computer crash is exactly what I had in mind,' Kaiba said. 'The biggest computer crash ever. And I'm going to use Pegasus's own satellite to do it.'

'But I've already tried to hack into their systems.'

Kaiba smirked. 'My idea's different. Once the security is down, we should be able to freely access the data. Be ready with a search for the Dark Magician.'

'Gotcha.' An image of the Dark Magician appeared on the screen. 'Dark Magician in core loaded and standing by.'

'Good,' Kaiba said. 'If Yugi's duelling, he's sure to use that card.'

'So spill it already. How are we going to use Industrial Illusions own satellite to bring down their computer?'

'By bringing down the satellite itself. Down all the way!'

The computer image of the satellite enlarged and x-rayed. 'Loading satellite schematics. M-Class Triton Series. Booster Rocket controls online. Locating orbital coordinates. Breaching onboard computer security. You are now the proud owner of an Industrial Illusions satellite.'

'Great,' Kaiba said. 'Now plot a crash course for the computer mainframe.'

'Uploading new coordinates now.' The image of the mainframe appeared. 'We are locked on-target for the computer.'

Kaiba smirked. 'Virus software won't stop this. Pegasus, you're on notice that the Kaiba Corporation's still mine.'

'Satellite impact in ten seconds.'

**Duellist Kingdom**

For a second, Shamee chuckling caught his attention. Clearly whoever had called her on Sharee's cell phone had told her something interesting and amusing.

But "Kaiba" chuckled too. 'I won't attack just yet? Why rush to victory when I can draw it out as long as possible instead.' He laid one card face down.

_There's more to it than that. He's hiding some sort of magic card, I know it!_ Yami turned the card. 'Dark Magician, go to defensive mode.' The monster changed position. He pulled out another card. 'And I summon Curse of Dragon, on the defence as well.' The other monster appeared.

'Smart playing, Yugi,' "Kaiba" said. 'Unfortunately, it wasn't smart enough.' He flipped up his face-down card. 'You played right into my hand. Defence Paralysis!'

Rat rot! 'A trap!' Both of his monsters were moved.

"Kaiba" smirked. 'Hm. Now all your monsters on the field have been switched into attack mode.'

'What?' cried his friends.

'Yugi!' Mokuba called.

_While that defence paralysis is on the field, my monsters can't defend themselves. I've got to think of a way out._

"Kaiba" barked out a laugh. 'It's time! Blue Eyes, use your White Lightning!'

The Blue Eyes opened its mouth and let the attack stream forth. It hit the Curse of Dragon, completely destroying it. Yami growled as he raised his arm, shielding his eyes.

'Well, so much for your Curse of Dragon,' "Kaiba" gloated.

'Yugi!'

Yami's life points dropped down to a thousand. Shamee said something else into the phone and then hung up.

**Kaiba Mansion**

The door on the computer screen closed.

'No Dark Magician there,' Kaiba said. 'Next field.'

'We've exhausted almost every possibility of locating Yugi Moto.' The screen stopped at the next door. 'Field 146 is the final active duel.'

'Then…he's gotta be there,' Kaiba said. 'Search field 146.'

'You got it.' The screen moved forward but froze and fuzzed up.

'What's that?' Kaiba demanded.

'Looks like I crashed.'

'Reboot.'

The screen dimmed down and then lit up again. 'Back online.'

'Enter field 146.'

The screen went forward but it happened once more. 'I'm frozen again.'

'Huh?'

'It's worse this time.'

Kaiba figured it out. 'Hang on. Watch this.' He started typing away. The Dark Magician appeared on the screen in front of him and an "X" flashed over it. 'Gotcha. Just as I thought. So, a virus. A good one. That means just one thing. Searching for Yugi's cards activates the virus. Yugi's inside. Get ready to go in.'

'But the security door…uh oh.'

'What?'

'I think you better take a look yourself. We're getting an unidentified conference call that's bouncing off several relays around the world.'

'What?' Kaiba was on his feet.

'It's coming in and whoever's sending it knows precisely how to dodge around defences.'

Kaiba sat back down. May as well work out who it is. 'Open the channel.'

**Duellist Kingdom**

Yami liked it even less and less when that guy smirked. _How can I defeat his Blue Eyes White Dragon?_

Kimo laughed. 'Yugi, you gotta admit, for a stiff this Kaiba's sure got game!'

'That's not my brother!' Mokuba yelled. 'There's just no way!'

That sense of surety…Yami had a feeling he'd seen it before. You knew someone that well that you could tell an impostor just by looking at him. As a matter of fact, Yami thought he'd felt it before.

'Yugi, you know that's not him! Everyone thinks he's a bad guy but I know my brother and he's not mean like this. He's my best friend in the whole world. That thing's not him! You just gotta believe me!' There tears in his eyes.

Yami did believe him but he could hear Yugi wasn't so certain. He wanted to be, but he wasn't, but…_One thing I do know for sure, this duel's not over yet!_ Yami took the necessary card and laid it down. 'Magical hats, conceal the Dark Magician!' The Hats appeared and the Magician disappeared.

"Kaiba" looked startled.

'He's under there somewhere,' Yami said. 'Which one?'

"Kaiba" smirked. 'Are you so desperate that you have your Dark Magician doing simple hat tricks?'

'It's not a trick,' Yami said. 'And it's not so simple. Your move, but you better think twice before you choose. Four hats, only twenty five per cent chance you'll find the Dark Magician. The real question is: what else is hiding beneath those hats!'

'Way to go, Yugi!' Joey called. 'Now that's what I like to call pulling one outta your hat!'

Mokuba gasped. 'All right!'

"Kaiba" closed his eyes. 'Hm. So predictable. I know where the Dark Magician hides.'

'If you're so sure, then move,' Yugi said.

'It's a shame this duel has to end so soon. White Lightning!'

Yami watched anxiously. _If he attacks the right hat, I'll lose more than just this duel. Much more!_


	10. Give Up The Ghost

DISCLAIMER: If you recognise it from somewhere else, it isn't mine.

* * *

**Give Up The Ghost**

The White Lightning hit the hat on the far left. Nothing was inside. Yami smirked. Good. This was going well.

'No!' "Kaiba" cried. 'That hat was empty!'

'All right!' Joey cheered. 'This could work!'

'It's gotta work,' Téa said.

'Yugi'll beat that faker!' Mokuba insisted.

'Your guess was wrong. Guess wrong again and it'll cost you.' Yugi laid a card down.

'Huh?' "Kaiba" asked.

'There are still three Magical Hats on the field and one of them hides a special surprise just for you,' Yami said. 'If you destroy the hat that hides my Dark Magician, you'll win this duel. Chose the empty one and it's my turn again. But I'm betting you'll pick that hat that contains the trap card that I just put into play.'

'A trap card?' "Kaiba" demanded.

'Now! Which hat will it be?'

'You're taking a big gamble, Yugi!' Joey called.

'If he guesses right, it's over!' Tristan added.

"Kaiba" glared. 'Blue Eyes White Dragon, attack the middle hat!'

The Blue Eyes shot the attack. 'Heh!' Yami smirked wider. 'Well, now, you've done it! Activated my trap card, that is. Spell Binding Circle!' The Circle appeared first on the ground and then it shot over and encircled the Blue Eyes White Dragon.

"Kaiba" glared hatefully.

'A Blue Eyes White Dragon is normally unstoppable,' Yami said. 'But once drained of its energy by the Spell Binding Circle…' The Blue Eyes's attack points dropped to 2300. '…it's no match for the full power of my Dark Magician!' The Dark Magician emerged from the remaining hat on the left. He raised his staff and destroyed it. 'And that puts an end to your Blue Eyes White Dragon.'

"Kaiba"'s life points dropped down to 500.

'Way to go, Yugi!' Mokuba cheered.

A streak of White Lightning suddenly shot forward and destroyed the Dark Magician. Yami flinched away from the light. His life points dropped down to five hundred. Below him, his friends made sounds of surprise. They hadn't seen that coming.

'Another one?' Tristan demanded.

"Kaiba" laughed. 'And that puts an end to your Dark Magician. There are only three Blue Eyes White Dragon cards in the world and they're all in my deck. Your grandpa had the fourth but I ripped it up.'

Yami's eyes narrowed, a reaction to Yugi's emotions.

'But how could I know that if I'm not really Seto Kaiba? You know I couldn't believe it when you beat all three of my Blue Eyes White Dragons with Exodia, but now without that monster in your deck, there's absolutely no way you can win. Your move.'

'Everyone heard about your duel with Seto,' Mokuba insisted. 'That's how this loser knows about it! That's not my brother, Yugi. I'm sure!'

Yami nodded. So was he. Turning his attention back to the impostor, Yami focused on this. He needed a way to turn this around and then a third way.

**Kaiba Mansion**

Kaiba stared at the image in front of him. It was a girl with long red hair and blue eyes. She was dressed casually, but sitting in an office or a study. There was someone she reminded him of.

'Who are you?' Kaiba demanded.

'Shauna Pertinicle,' she said. 'I'm Sharee's twin sister and she asked me to track you down.'

Kaiba remembered Sharee. She was Yugi's American friend, the one who stood there watching duels passively. Clearly, she kept a lot of what she wanted to say to herself, unlike the others.

'Why?' he asked.

Shauna turned to her monitor. 'Hang on. I've already got access to Yugi's duel. If we connect our computers, as against that idea as you'll be, it'll be much faster than hacking in.'

Kaiba was against the idea but he also knew she was right. Hacking in would take more time than connecting their computers would.

The interface began loading. 'Connection received and secured. Origin: New Haven House, Connecticut State of Northern America.'

Shauna looked up. 'And the bit you'll find most interesting is the name of Yugi's opponent.'

'What?' Kaiba saw his own name on the screen. He twisted around to face Shauna. 'Is this your idea of a joke?'

'I'm more for dry humour.' She proved it with that statement. 'You've got yourself an impostor, who claims to be your ghost. That was why Sharee had me track you down and then contact you. First she wanted confirmation that you were still alive and now she wants to see if we can shut this guy down from here. She said you don't want to lose your company and we don't want to lose Yugi. The only reason he's even duelling in this thing is because his grandpa was kidnapped.'

That made sense. Kaiba didn't like to admit it, but she had a point. They'd have to team up whether they wanted to or not. He growled to himself as she reported the rest with a disgruntled expression.

'Sharee thought early on that Pegasus had taken off with your deck and she must've been right. Both are sitting at 500 life points and your impostor has his second Blue Eyes out. Yugi defeated the first one with a combination of the Dark Magician, Magical Hats and the Spell Binding Circle, then the second one blew the Magician away. It's Yugi's move.'

'But without…' Kaiba stumbled. '…Exodia, Yugi can't win. He has no other card left in his deck that can beat the Blue Eyes White Dragon, let alone two of them.'

Shauna's eyes narrowed. 'Then if you want to keep your company, we better think of something fast.'

Kaiba looked at her. 'Fast…yes. Are you familiar with the process of loading viruses into Duel Monsters?'

Shauna's eyebrows rose. 'I've heard the theory but I've never seen the need nor the opportunity to try it.'

'Yugi will lose on the next attack from the Blue Eyes White Dragon unless we decrease its power from here,' Kaiba said.

Shauna looked thoughtful and then started typing. 'How's this?'

Kaiba received the inactive virus as Shauna built it up. She was good. Nearly as good as him. If she was Sharee's contact – the one she called every time she needed to know something – then it was understandable how the girl moved so fast.

'Upload this virus into the monster's holo-computer,' Kaiba ordered his machine. 'That Dragon is about to get sick – real sick.'

'Standing by.' An image of the Blue Eyes appeared. 'But shouldn't we first wait to see Yugi's next move?'

'No time!' Shauna insisted. The girl had her priorities in order.

'We can't afford to risk Yugi loosing the duel,' Kaiba said. 'Upload.'

The computer began injecting the virus. 'Viral injection underway.'

**Duellist Kingdom**

_I don't have any monsters that can withstand his Blue Eyes White Dragon._ Yami shut his eyes. _This could be it._

'This duel is over, Yugi,' "Kaiba" said. 'I'm sure we'll be hearing the fat lady sing right after your turn. I still have Defence Paralysis active, so whichever monster you pick won't be able to defend itself.'

'I choose the Feral Imp in attack mode.' Yami laid the card down and the monster appeared.

**Kaiba Mansion**

'I wish Yugi waited a few more seconds before moving,' Kaiba said. 'Isn't there anything you can do to get that computer virus uploaded faster?'

'This is as fast as it goes,' Shauna insisted as she turned and started working something on her knee.

The numbers climbed. 'We're already halfway there. Viral implant now at sixty per cent. But it doesn't seem to be working. The Blue Eyes White Dragon is still showing no signs of weakness.'

'Something is wrong,' Kaiba said.

**Duellist Kingdom**

"Kaiba" sniggered. 'This is almost too easy.'

'Yugi!' Téa called from below.

'Hang on!' Tristan turned. 'Yugi can still win this.'

'Don't forget,' Joey said. 'He beat Kaiba last time.'

'And this time…' Shamee finally spoke. Yami saw, out of the corner of her eye, she was holding her cell phone, looking at the screen. '…he's got an ally they're not expecting.'

Yami briefly wondered what she meant as the rest of them down there twisted around and looked at her.

'It's time, Blue Eyes White Dragon,' "Kaiba" said. 'Attack!'

Yami drew back but only for a second. 'Huh?' Something was happening to the Blue Eyes White Dragon. Lights were shooting out of it and it was beginning to shake. The image of it distorted.

'What are you waiting for?' "Kaiba" demanded. 'Attack!'

**Kaiba Mansion**

The image on the computer screen showed the Blue Eyes nearly full. 'The virus is taking effect. Blue Eyes White Dragon's attack power is beginning to drop.'

'But it's still too strong!' Kaiba insisted, watching the numbers go down. 'It has to get weaker or it'll still beat Yugi!'

On the side monitor, he noticed out of the corner of his eye, Shauna's jaw clenched. She didn't want Yugi to lose either, for a totally different reason than him.

**Duellist Kingdom**

Yami watched the numbers go down, the Blue Eyes White Dragon got weaker and weaker. 'What…I don't believe it!'

Neither did "Kaiba". He threw himself forward. 'What's going on? My Blue Eyes White Dragon!'

Yami looked down. Shamee was the only one who didn't look confused. Instead, she was smirking. She saw him looking and scratched the back of her neck. 'It appears to have gotten a virus.'

'…Virus?' Yami asked. She must've gotten a message on her cell phone. That was the only way that she would understand what was going on. Yami looked back at the degenerating Dragon. Now it was beginning to melt.

Yami heard only one voice beside that. 'This is Kimo to Pegasus. I hope you're watching, sir, because we got a real problem out here.'

Yes, he was watching.

**Kaiba Mansion**

'The Blue Eye White Dragon's attack power is dropping rapidly,' the computer reported. 'The virus implant is successfully disabling the monster completely.'

'All right.' Kaiba raised his hand to the headpiece. 'Now let's get to work on Dragon number three.'

'Uh-uh!' Shauna called. 'You're getting hacked!'

'What?' Kaiba glanced to the side.

Suddenly his computer shut down and contact with Shauna was lost.

'What's the matter?' Kaiba demanded.

'She was right! We've been locked out by a remote terminal. Looks like we've been hacked! Shauna got cut off because of a very sophisticated set of firewalls. You might want to talk to her about getting some of those. They keep out intruders, sending all levels of hackers a software-eating virus and all connection is cut if she has one with another computer that gets hacked.'

Kaiba registered in the back of his mind that he did need to find out how she had firewalls like that. But, he was more focused on the series of ridiculous-looking cartoon rabbits that appeared and started chanting "hey, Kaiba". 'It's Pegasus.'

But his computer managed to reboot. They didn't bother trying to re-established contact with Shauna. 'Blue Eyes White Dragon attack power is holding at 2000.'

'But this should have worked!' Kaiba insisted.

'The Blue Eyes is launching its attack.'

'No!' This couldn't happen!

**Duellist Kingdom**

Yami knew he had a real problem when the deterioration stopped. That meant whatever the virus was, it had stopped working. Shamee cried out in denial as she looked at Sharee's cell phone again.

'Now, Blue Eyes White Dragon, time to obliterate them!' "Kaiba" yelled.

Yami drew back. The Blue Eye began to shoot it White Lightning attack.

**Kaiba Mansion**

Kaiba couldn't let this happen. He just couldn't. He loved his Blue Eyes White Dragons, yes. Just as much as he loved his brother but if they won…they would all lose everything. He would make this work! Kaiba slammed his fists down.

'Yugi!'

**Duellist Kingdom**

'_Yugi!'_

The Millennium Eye glowed on Yami's head as he heard the call. 'Kaiba?' The attack in front of him suddenly cut off, leaving his Feral Imp unharmed. 'It stopped. The Dragon…' It really did look terrible to Yami's eyes, melting with chunks of it falling off and the last of its attack dying in its mouth. It vanished in a bright flash.

The pieces all came together in Yami's head.

"Kaiba" started in disbelief. 'This can't be.'

Joey, Téa, Tristan and Mokuba stared in relieved awe. Shamee looked a bit like she was coming down from a heart attack. Her cell phone rang and she fumbled for it. From the looks of it, that had even rattled her.

'It's a trick!' Kimo insisted.

Shamee answered the phone. 'Yeah? It came apart. It's gone.' She composed herself. 'Yeah, what happened? Cut off? Rat rot. He'll think of something. Thanks, Shauna.'

**Kaiba Mansion**

On the screen, the image of the Blue Eyes was gone. 'The Blue Eyes White Dragon is destroyed, but the virus was not responsible.'

'Then how?' Kaiba demanded. 'Did Yugi Moto somehow do this?'

'How could he? It is your deck.'

'…_if you put your heart in the game, there is nothing you can't do._' He'd believed that he could do it, no matter how it looked, and it worked. That meant…'It's the Heart of the Cards. Yugi was right.'

Suddenly the door behind him beeped with an alert. Of all the lousy timing!

**Duellist Kingdom**

'Why?' "Kaiba" bellowed. 'Why me?'

'Why?' Yami repeated rhetorically. 'Because Kaiba's still alive. He stopped you.'

'Silence!' "Kaiba" yelled. 'I am Kaiba!'

'Enough!' Yami barked. 'Your charade is over!'

'My brother is alive!' Mokuba cheered.

'What's going on?' Téa asked.

'It's like Yugi said,' Mokuba answered. 'Last time Yugi duelled my brother, he showed Seto the Heart of the Cards. This faker may have taken his deck but the real Seto Kaiba's alive and well.'

'Impostor! The real Seto Kaiba destroyed that monster. I know because I sensed him calling out to me when it happened.' Yami pointed an accusing finger at him. 'Now, enough of your lies. We know you're not Kaiba. It's time for you to show us who you really are.'

'I told you. I am Kaiba.' He laughed and then seemed to start breaking out of his skin, swelling and rippling. 'Or at least I'm part of him – the darkest part.'

Yami drew back. Now he was facing a fat pink-haired…well, he wasn't sure what to call him. Whatever he was, he laughed. 'I can see you don't recognise me, Yugi. I wasn't lying when I told you I was Seto Kaiba – the evil part of him that you sent to the Shadow Realm after our last duel. But now I'm back, thanks to Pegasus.' He cackled in laughter.

'You're not a part of my brother anymore!' Mokuba yelled.

Téa cringed. 'Ew! It's hideous!'

'I always thought that this duel just might turn ugly,' Joey stated. 'But I never thought that ugly!' He gave it a thumb's down.

Mokuba, as was typical for a boy his age, was goading his brother's evil side. 'Hey, Ugly! If I were you, I'd start worrying about what my big brother's going to do to you when he finally catches up to you!'

'I guess I just don't know what to call you,' Yami said. 'I was thinking about "monster", but I didn't want to insult the cards.'

The evil side smirked.

'It's your move.' Yami narrowed his eyes. 'You've got a whole deck to go through and only one Blue Eyes White Dragon left.'

The evil side of Kaiba drew a card. 'Grappler in defence mode.' He laughed as he laid the card down and the monster appeared.

_He's just biding his time until he draws his last Blue Eyes._ 'It's my turn.' Yami had the Celtic Guardian in his hand. _I'd play this card in defence mode but he's still got his Defence Paralysis card in play. So I can only attack. And with no defence, if he draws the Blue Eyes White Dragon card I'm finished._ 'I'll set one card face down on the field and draw the Celtic Guardian as well in attack mode.' Yami did exactly as he said. The Celtic Guardian shot forward and cut into the other monster. 'Your Grappler split.'

'Ah. Parting is such sweet sorrow. Next up is Mystic Horseman in defence mode and I'll lay one of my cards face down just like you.' The monster materialised.

_Face down? Is it a magic card? Or is he setting a trap?_ Yami drew. 'Again, I'll lay a card face-down. And I'll use the Mystical Elf in attack mode. Plus, this Book of Secret Arts will raise its attack and defence power by three hundred points!' The Mystic Elf appeared on the playing field and began chanting as its points went up. 'My turn is over.'

Kaiba's evil side waved his finger. 'Patience, Yugi, for it will soon be all over.' He drew and scrutinised him over his hand.

From below, Joey began speaking. 'I find it hard to believe, but I'm likin' the look on that guy's face even less than I did before.'

'Wipe that smile off his face, Yugi!' Téa called.

'Loser!' Mokuba yelled at the evil side. 'Make your move!'

The evil side laughed. 'As you wish.' He drew and grinned widely. 'Oh, prepare…'

Rat rot!

'…for the Blue Eyes White Dragon!' The monster appeared on the field.

'Yugi!' Joey yelled.

'Don't worry, Yugi!' Mokuba called. 'My brother will help out just like last time!'

'Dream on!' Kimo scoffed.

'Huh?' Mokuba asked.

Kimo went to say it but Shamee beat him to it. 'They worked out where he was.'

'How do you know that?' Téa asked.

'Same way I knew what was wrong with the last Blue Eyes,' Shamee said. 'I've got sources.'

'So this means Kaiba is alive?' Tristan asked.

'You think maybe a Duel Monster got a virus by itself?' Shamee asked.

'Dimwits,' Kimo said. 'It means don't expect another miracle, cause this duel's about to end.'

'Oh, no!' Mokuba cried.

Good thing Yami had this plan cooked up. The Blue Eyes roared and the evil side of Kaiba laughed. 'Such a good Dragon! Wouldn't you say, Yugi? This duel's about to end, now. Go, White Lightning attack!' The Blue Eyes shot the attack.

Yami narrowed his eyes. 'This duel's not over yet.' He held up his trap card. 'Activate Mirror Force now!' The attack, which had been aimed at the Mystical Elf, stopped dead in its tracks.

'Whoa! He's turned over a trap card!'

'And Mirror Force reflects your attack right back at you!' The attack shot back at the Blue Eyes White Dragon.

'Pretty good trick, but I'm ready with one of my own. I'll use Negate Attack.' He flipped the card up. The attack disappeared into little vortexes before they hit the Blue Eyes.

Yami tensed. _He had a magic card waiting just in case!_

'Negate Attack neutralises any attack thrown at me, even if its one of my own.'

'Yugi!' Téa called.

Yami chuckled. 'It's time to finish this duel…' He held up a card. '…with Reborn the Monster.'

'Oh, no! That allows you to revive any monster lost in this duel from either deck!'

'I'm glad you know the rules,' Yami said. 'Now, guess which card I want. Be reborn, Blue Eyes White Dragon!' The beast appeared on the field between Yami's Celtic Guardian and Mystical Elf.

The evil side of Kaiba smirked. 'Fat lotta good that move's gonna do you, Yugi. Both of these monsters are evenly matched.'

Yami smirked. 'Their powers are not the same.'

The evil side cried out in surprise.

'You forgot about my Mystical Elf,' Yami said. 'She's been chanting a spell since I put her on the field. It allows the Mystical Elf to transfer her attack power to any other monster I choose.'

'What?' he demanded. 'This can't be!'

'This move was inspired by Seto Kaiba himself,' Yami stated. 'He showed me that you can alter the power of a Blue Eyes White Dragon, but I'm raising the power of mine…' The Dragon's attack power went up to 4100. '…instead of lowering it like Kaiba did to yours.'

'This can't be happening!' He covered his face. 'Oh, no! No!'

'Consider this a message from the real Seto Kaiba: you lose! Now, Blue Eyes, obliterate!' His Blue Eyes White Dragon opened its mouth and let the White Lightning shoot out into its counterpart, destroying it and dropping the evil side's life points to zero. Yami felt the power, the level of which he had not felt for far too long, and the burning of the Millennium Eye on his forehead. 'Pegasus may have helped you escape the Shadow Realm before but it won't happen again!' He extended his hand. 'Never again!'

The evil side of Kaiba screamed as he was banished back to the Shadow Realm, deep enough that not even Pegasus's power could pull him out.

Yami could still feel the power coursing through him and that wasn't all he could feel either. 'Pegasus, I sense that you're watching. Consider this a warning: nothing you send against me will stop me. And when we finally duel, believe me, victory will be mine. I'll win back my grandfather's soul and you will pay for all the people you've hurt in the name of your sick little game. I'm coming for you, Pegasus.'

And for good measure, he made sure the wine glass, that he knew was in Pegasus's hand, shattered.

Shamee watched as, after the duel, Yami went over and picked up Kaiba's deck. She smiled and looked around. That was when she noticed it. She looked around quickly and then used her extra sense.

'That ghost is toast, huh, Yugi?' Joey called.

'I knew that the real Kaiba was alive the whole time,' Tristan insisted.

'Yugi!' Shamee called, heading over to him as he came down.

'Hm?' He looked down at her.

'I think Kimo took off with Mokuba.'

'What?' Joey, Tristan and Téa yelled.

The lot of them looked around. There was no sign of the kid anywhere.

'He's gone,' Yami said. 'Taken again!'

'Oh, no!' Tristan groaned.

Joey and Téa started calling out for him.


	11. The Duelling Monkey

DISCLAIMER: If you recognise it from somewhere else, it isn't mine.

* * *

**The Duelling Monkey**

'Mokuba!' Yugi called as he searched for the boy. 'Mokuba!'

'This is no time to be playing hide and seek, kid!' Joey yelled.

'Those thugs must've snatched him back to Pegasus's castle!' Tristan insisted as they all met up again.

'So now they've got your grandpa and Kaiba's little brother too?' Téa asked Yugi. They all turned and looked at the castle.

'Looks that way,' Joey said.

'It's just another reason for us to win those ten star chips and get in there,' Yugi said.

'No doubt.' Joey turned his head. 'Whoa!' There was a bunch of duelling card dropped on the ground. Joey knelt down. 'It's my lucky day!'

'Hands off,' Tristan said. 'Those are mine.'

'Cool, Tristan!' Yugi turned around as he knelt down to pick them up. 'I didn't know you were training to become a duellist.'

Joey picked up one card. Tristan snatched it and grinned with a blush. 'Yeah, well, I figured if a doofus like Joey can hold his own in this game then, hey, I'll probably be an expert at it.'

Sharee laughed. 'I guess all of us are duellists then.' She scratched the side of her nose.

'You got a duelling deck too?' Téa asked. 'I thought Pegasus just wanted you for the Bandanna.'

'He does.' Sharee raised her jacket enough so they could see the duelling deck holder that was attached to her belt. 'But it'd look beyond weird if he invited me here and I didn't even duel, wouldn't it?'

Yugi had to agree with that one.

'Whoa.' Joey looked down at one of the cards that was sitting there. 'I recognise that monster.' He picked it up.

Yugi looked. 'Haven't I seen that card in your deck, Joey?'

Joey stood up. 'Not this one, but I think I got something just like it.' He pulled out his own duelling deck and flicked through it until he found what he was looking for. 'Bingo! Swamp Battle Guard!' He showed Tristan. 'Well, would you take a look at this. These two look like they're long lost brothers.' He grinned. 'Of course, that doesn't mean your boy packs the same kind of wallop mine does.'

Tristan got offended. 'His wallop is just fine!'

'Let me look at those.' Sharee took the cards out of Joey's hands and compared the two together. 'Yeah, that's what I thought. Combo.'

'What?' Joey asked.

'A few Duel Monsters work better as a tag team.' Sharee turned the cards around. 'Swamp Battle Guard and Lava Battle Guard are one such combo.'

'Really?' Tristan asked. 'Well, then, maybe Joey should try it out.'

'Thanks.' Joey said as Sharee handed him back the cards. 'It does say work best, together.'

'You know what?' Téa smirked. 'I think I kinda see a resemblance between you two and those muscle-heads.'

Yugi, Téa and Sharee started laughing.

Joey waved his arm at them. 'Laugh it up! I take that as a compliment!'

Sharee was the first to stop laughing. 'Okay…okay, I'm gonna go see if I can find us some supper, you know if Joey's going to be duelling again.'

Sharee unfortunately couldn't find much. Either Pegasus didn't like someone else taking his stock or he didn't have very much out here. Didn't the guy realise that people needed to eat?

_**The guy takes peoples' souls to get his own way, for the love of Ra, Sharee. He doesn't care. You ought to know that.**_

_Ought to, yes._ Sharee frowned and discarded another empty trap. _What's he really after anyway?_

In her mind's eye, Sharee saw Shamee scratch her head. _**I don't know. The one time we saw him…his actions were completely contradictory of what's in his heart.**_

_He has a heart?_

Shamee snorted in amusement. _**One easily broken.**_

Sharee mentally turned and looked at the ancient. _Then why the hell is he doing this?_

_**Could be the Millennium Eye. The Items have the power to take your emotions and exaggerate them, if you will. It all depends, really.**_

_I thought you didn't remember that._

_**I didn't…not before that woman showed up in the Shadow Realm.**_

_The one with the kid?_

_**That's her. Remember what she did?**_

Sharee stopped moving. _She tapped Yami's forehead. What did she do that for?_

_**I'm not sure how, but she unsurfaced all the knowledge he had on the Millennium Items and then he resurfaced my memories of them.**_

_Oh._ Sharee continued walking. _So, if that's the case, why were they even created in the first place?_

Shamee sighed heavily. _**For justice. They were used by the Royal Court to look into your heart, soul and mind to judge your guilt.**_

_And over time, their purpose has been twisted. _Sharee started heading back to where he friends were. _How did you and Yami end up inside the Puzzle and the Bandanna then?_

_**Your guess is as good as ours. It probably has something to do with whatever buried out memories.**_

Sharee considered that. _You think maybe those two spirits in the Shadow Realm know?_

_**They could, but when we saw them we didn't exactly have time for talking about that, did we?**_

Sharee came into the clearing and groaned. As she walked over to Téa and looked up at the duel, she said, 'This is developing into a habit.' Sharee looked at them and was a bit surprised to see Mai standing on the other side. 'What gives?'

'Rex challenged Joey to a duel,' Téa said. 'Mai showed up with him and barred Yugi from giving advice for the duration.'

Mai was watching them. Sharee smirked. 'Oh, I see! This is your way of getting even.' She laughed. 'It won't work. Joey's defeat of you had nothing to do with who the better duellist was.' She tapped her nose. 'It was who the better person was.' She looked at Téa. 'So where are Yugi and Tristan?'

'They wandered off somewhere,' Téa said.

At that moment, Rex called for his monster to attack Joey's Flame Swordsman. Sharee pressed her face into her hand and began chuckling through her nose. As soon as Mai saw what was going on she yelled, 'Rex, you big dino-dummy!'

'Flaming Sword of Battle!' Joey ordered.

The Swordsman's blade lit up with fire.

'Wha…?' Rex drew back.

The flame shot out and the Swordsman sliced the dinosaur. Both duellists gritted their teeth. The dinosaur was consumed by fire and was destroyed. Joey and Rex then both drew back in surprise.

'Tell me how a swordsman can beat a dinosaur!' Rex insisted as his life points dropped to 1330.

'I actually won that?' Joey asked.

'Oh, yeah!' Sharee crowed. 'Dinosaur cards are especially vulnerable to fire!' Mai glared at her. Sharee shrugged. 'You said Yugi couldn't say anything. You didn't say anything about me.'

Joey sniggered. 'I think I just found the secret to beating your dinos. Hope you're not too saur about it. Get it? Saur? Dino? Dinosaur?'

Rex growled and laid another dinosaur in defence mode. 'Sword Arm of Dragon!'

'Want some?' Joey demanded. 'Come and get it, buddy!'

The Flame Swordsman cut down dinosaur after dinosaur after dinosaur. Sharee half-wondered how this guy got through the Regional Championships if he kept throwing those cards out against this thing.

'Yeah!' Téa cheered. 'I knew you were going to make a come-back, Joey!'

'This is far from over, you know,' Rex said. 'One card won't win this for you.'

'All righty then. I'll just bring out another for you.' Joey laid the card down. 'Swamp Battle Guard.'

'Big deal! I have a beast that will wipe that smirk off your face permanently.' Rex drew and smirked. 'All right!' He played the card he'd just drawn. 'Meet the top link of the food chain! Serpent Knight Dragon! This rare card's awarded to the elite few who've made it to the final round of the Regional Championships. But for a loser like you, it should be an honour just to get thrashed by it! Nightmare Sonic Blast!'

The sonic blasts went down and in the next few moments, the Flame Swordsman was destroyed. Joey frowned. 'He was my best card.'

Tea stared up. 'Oh, poor Joey.'

Sharee watched him draw and stare. She knew, just from that, that he'd drawn the Lava Battle Guard. He stared down, muttering to himself. She was so busy focusing on what he was saying that she nearly never heard Yugi and Tristan coming up behind them. She turned.

'Yo, Joey!' Tristan called.

Joey looked down at them.

'We're here for you, buddy!' Tristan called. 'So how about it, you gonna take that card of mine for a test drive or what?'

Sharee was almost startled at how good of friends those two were. Even if they were always fighting each other. She, Téa and Yugi grinned at each other.

Joey grinned. 'You got it, pal!' He threw the card down. 'Go, Lava Battle Guard!' The monster appeared on the field right next to the Swamp Battle Guard.

'Cool,' Tristan said. 'My card's on the field.'

'Oh, what a touching reunion!' Rex yelled sarcastically. 'Too bad my Serpent Knight Dragon is gonna blast it to shreds. Now, attack the green one!'

The Dragon began to shoot the sonic blasts again. Sharee smirked. _He actually thinks that'll work._

_**Puh-leez! Oh, I sound like you.**_

Sharee suppressed a chuckle. But she didn't have to because a moment later the sonic blasts shot right back at the Dragon. Only she and Yugi weren't surprised at what they were seeing.

'What?' Rex demanded. 'My sonic blasts are being deflected!' The dragon was destroyed by its own attack. 'How was my Dragon's attack repelled? There aren't any trap cards out.'

'Look at the field, Einstein!' Sharee called as her friends cheered.

'Oh, I get it,' Tristan said as he took in what had happened. 'The red on blocked for the green one.' There was still smoke coming off the Lava Battle Guard's club.

'Tristan's card was there right when I needed it most,' Joey said.

'Of course,' Yugi said. 'Those two monsters are like best friends, so when they're together on the field they help power each other up.' He looked up. 'Just like how you and Joey help each other out in real life, huh, Tristan?'

'That's what being a buddy is all about,' Tristan said.

'Thanks for everything, man,' Joey called down. 'I owe you.'

Tristan gave him a thumbs up.

'What a team!' Yugi remarked. 'Not only did you take out Rex's monster, but you made a nice dent in his life points too.'

Sure enough, Rex's life points dropped down to 840. He growled in annoyance.

'Right!' Joey exclaimed. 'And now that we're together again…'

'…There's not a monster Rex has that could stop us!' Tristan finished the sentence.

Sharee didn't like that smirk on Rex's face.


	12. Trial By Red Eyes

DISCLAIMER: If you recognise it from somewhere else, it isn't mine.

* * *

**Trial By Red Eyes**

'Your horned freaks may have won control of the field,' Rex laid a card face-down, 'but now it's time to see if you can hold it. Dragonon!'

'Battle Guard!' Joey called. 'Give that card a bashing!' The Lava Battle Guard shot forward and slammed its club into the monster, destroying it.

'Whoa!' Tristan said, awed at the two Duel Monsters. 'Look at 'em glow! Those guys are some kinda tag team.'

Yugi could barely believe he was seeing this. 'Wow! You're right about that. The power bonus they gain from both being on the field at the same time makes them a tough duo to beat.'

'No joke!' Tristan agreed. 'And since Joey's already taken out Rex's best monster card, the rest will be cake! Finish 'em, bro!'

Yugi noticed Sharee looking a bit worried as Joey nodded. He soon saw why too.

Rex barked out a laugh. 'Who said that Serpent Knight Dragon Joey destroyed two turns ago was my best card?' He drew and sneered. 'My supreme monster is a dragon but of a different sort.' He threw the card down. 'The Red Eyes Black Dragon!'

Sharee gritted her teeth and drew back, even though she was nowhere near it. Everyone else gasped in shock, even Mai.

'A what Dragon?' Mai asked.

The Red Eyes Black Dragon took form on the battlefield. Rex smirked. 'Your pair of primates can power up until they're green in the face. They're still no match for the thrashing power of this beast.'

Joey visibly tensed. Tristan and Téa watched, worried, but Yugi and Sharee were past that. They stared in mild horror instead. They were the only ones who'd ever heard of the card that Rex had just played, the one that stood towering over the Battle Guards.

'So it does exist,' Yugi said. 'Grandpa told me about this card. Its powers are said to rival those of the legendary Blue Eyes White Dragon.'

Mai had heard that. 'It's about time Rex played a card that'll put Joey in his place.'

'And if you think those brain-dead brutes of yours will rescue each other from this Dragon's rampage, think again!' Rex laid another card down. 'With Dragon Claws my Red Eyes gets a power boost strong enough to clobber an army of your Battle Guards.' The claws appeared on its hands and its attack powers rose to 3000. 'Red Eyes Black Dragon, Inferno Fire Blast!'

The Red Eyes opened its mouth and spat out a ball of red energy. It struck the Battle Guards and destroyed both of them. Sharee gritted her teeth and clenched her fist.

'How could he torch them both with just one shot?' Joey demanded as both he and Tristan stared in shock.

Rex sneered again. 'Those who defend together are destroyed together. Don't tell me you thought their little clubs would be enough to save them from my Dragon's wrath.'

'That creep,' Tristan said as Joey's life points dropped down to 235. Another hit and he was done for.

Yugi heard Mai chuckle and said, 'That's a good boy, Rex. Nice work.'

'Do you smell that odour in the air, Joey?' Rex gloated. 'It's the stench of your defeated Battle Guards. Who's up next for the roast?'

Joey dropped his head, despite the fact he was clearly breaking a sweat. Yugi didn't hear what he said.

'Hang in there!' Tristan called.

Téa leaned over. 'Yugi, tell me that Dragon isn't as tough as it looks. I mean, there must be something Joey can do to stop it.'

Yugi looked away from her and up at the duel. _I wish I could answer her, cause there is one last move that could save Joey from that Red Eyes. But I'm barred from giving advice in this duel. Joey's just gonna have to figure out this one all by himself._ Yugi glanced over at Sharee. She hadn't been there for the start so she didn't know what Joey's face-down card was. She didn't even know it was there.

'Play any monster you got!' Rex crowed. 'My Dragon has enough firepower to turn your whole deck into a smouldering pile of ash!'

Joey was tenser than before.

'Yo, Joey!' Tristan called. 'You may not have the monster to beat that thing, but you got the smarts!'

'We're not giving up on you, Joey!' Yugi called.

'Don't forget!' Téa added. 'Duelling's more about heart than strength!'

'And you got more than enough of that!' Sharee tapped over her own heart. 'Just think of your sister!'

'Now, show this lizard what your made of!' Tristan insisted.

Joey nodded and turned back to the cards. He drew his next card and gasped at what he saw in his hand.

'Yeah,' Rex drawled cockily. 'That's it, Joey. Slap down another card for my Red Eyes to fry up!' Then he suddenly started grinning.

'Hey,' Mai yelled. 'Are you gonna nab me the victory you promised or are you gonna sit there with that dumb look on your face?' Her yelling started to sound a lot like nonsensical squawking.

'Oh, Joey!' Rex called. 'I have an idea. Let's make this duel more exciting and each put one card up for grabs as well as star chips. And so it's fair, we'll both put up whatever card we have on the field. Sound good?'

Joey looked startled and then he looked down. 'Oh, yeah! My Time Wizard. I forgot about that.'

'The Time Wizard?' Sharee asked, voice soft. 'He's got that out?'

'And, for him, I'll give you my rarest card,' Rex said. 'The supreme Red Eyes Black Dragon.'

A thoughtful look came over Joey's face. Yugi could tell he was seriously thinking about it. He didn't mind, either. Rex had called Joey's attention to the card in front of him and that was the only way to win. It would also give Joey a very strong monster.

'Just what do you think you're doing, you disobedient dolt?' Mai started up again. 'You're here to take Joey out of this tournament, not to improve your deck!'

Rex turned. 'Stay out of this!'

'Rex, you double-crossing snake! I know what you're scheming!'

'I'm no lousy snake! I'm a dinosaur! You know that!'

'Ha! You're no dinosaur!' Then she went off on a tangent.

The argument had been sort of amusing, if Yugi was honest. Now it was back to all of the nonsensical squawking.

'You got a deal, Rex,' Joey said. 'Your Red Eyes Dragon and my Time Wizard, winner takes all!'

'What?' Mai twisted around.

'Yeah!' Rex cheered.

'It's a gutsy move,' Yugi said.

'But while I'm at it, Rex, I'm making him my weapon of choice too!' Joey flipped the card face-up. 'Go, Time Wizard!'

Rex recoiled in shock. 'What are you doing?'

'Joey just figured out the best possible move for this situation,' Yugi said.

'This wouldn't be happening if you'd just obeyed my commands, Rex!' Mai yelled.

'I hoped you packed your bags, Rex,' Joey said as the Time Wizard appeared. 'If my Time Wizard's spin arrow lands on a time warp, you'll be on the next boat off this island.'

'Do you really want to leave this entire duel up to a single spin?' Rex demanded. 'You do know what'll happen if that arrow lands on a skull, don't you?'

'It's a risk I gotta take,' Joey said. 'Time Roulette go!' The spin arrow started and picked up speed until it was a yellow blur.

'What happens if the arrow lands on a skull?' Téa asked.

'It's self-destruct and take a chunk out of Joey's life points,' Yugi said.

'Oh, man,' Tristan said. 'All he's got is a chunk.'

'I can't believe this entire duel has come down to one spin!' Téa insisted. 'It's almost too nerve-wracking to even watch!'

Sharee pressed her lips together for a moment. 'All we can do is hope that arrow doesn't land on a skull.'

'Okay.' Tristan paused. 'Then let's start hoping.'

They all watched. It seemed to take forever. Yugi knew it was just their anxiousness drawing the whole thing out. Then the arrow started to slow down.

'It's stopping,' Téa said.

The arrow ticked. For a second, right before it stopped, Yugi thought it was going to land on the skull. But then it ticked over again. It landed right on the time warp. Yugi and all their friends cheered.

'No!' Rex yelled.

'All right.' Joey called out. 'Time Warp, go!'

'Time Magic!' The Time Wizard called and a huge wind picked up. They raised their arms to shield themselves but they still saw it happening and they heard Rex yelling.

'You jerk! Look what you've done! The entire space-time continuum is speeding out of control! Eons are passing like seconds!'

The winds eventually died down and they lifted their heads, looking. Everyone stared at the Red Eyes Black Dragon.

'Wha…?' Rex cried.

'He's been…fossilised,' Téa said.

'No!' Mai insisted. 'He hasn't. He's still standing. Sure, he's beginning to grey a little but that's natural. Go on and have him attack, Rex. Go on, Rex!'

'Right…' Rex was half in shock. 'Uh…Red Eyes, go on and attack…' He was cut off as first the head slid off and then the monster broke to pieces, crashing into the ground. 'Oh, no, no, no!'

'The millions of years that Joey's Time Wizard made pass turned Rex's Dragon into a brittle shell of dust,' Yugi surmised.

Rex's life points dropped down to zero. 'So I guess you want my star chips, huh?'

Joey sighed and then straightened up. 'Wait a second.' He pointed. 'Not only did I win your star chips, but I won your Red Eyes too, fair and square!'

Rex promptly had a whinge fest. Their friends all cheered. When the platform lowered, Joey jumped down and they ran to him, with Tristan in the lead. A few minutes later, Yugi, Sharee and Téa were watching them fight each other. Yugi went to step in but Téa stopped him.

'Maybe we ought to stay out of this one. I think this is their bizarre way of showing each other they care.'

'Oh.' Yugi turned back to it. 'Okay. I just hope they don't care about me that much.'

Sharee laughed.

Sharee couldn't believe these guys.

Tristan was telling the story as they sat in the dark. '…and when they finally pulled over to see what was in the backseat of the car, it was over twenty pepperoni pizzas with double cheese and meatballs!'

'Oh, please!' Téa laughed. 'What kind of a ghost story was supposed to be?'

Joey groaned. 'If I don't get some food in me, I'm gonna be turning into a ghost!'

Sharee chuckled and laid back. 'Is it my fault you two guys have black holes for stomachs? I think we've cleared the island out by now.'

'Those two and their stomaches, huh?' Téa chuckled.

'Hey!' Joey yelled.

The moment she saw what had gotten his attention, Sharee rolled over and crossed the distance. She shoved him back while Tristan grabbed his arms and pulled him back to stop him getting to the mushroom he'd spotted.

'No, no, no!' Sharee insisted. 'I don't care how hungry you are, just no!'

'Wild mushrooms are poisonous, Joey!' Yugi urgently told him.

'So do us all a favour and let him eat it.'

They all looked up and were surprised to see Mai standing there. Of all the things that Sharee had been expecting when Mai showed up chewing on her health bar, sharing the food wasn't one of them.

But soon the six of them were sitting in a circle, chewing on the snacks. Mai sent Yugi to find some firewood and Tristan and Joey to find water. When the boys vanished, Sharee asked.

'So why the change of heart?'

Mai looked at her and smiled. 'It's night time. It'll be a temporary truce and you guys have got me interested.'

Sharee grinned and scratched her head. 'Wow! I've spent way too much time on archaeological dig sites!'

A couple of hours later, Sharee was stepping out of the makeshift wash cubicle. 'Your turn,' she said to Téa.

Sharee sat down and started drying her hair – quite the trick without a towel but not the feat of her life. Mai stood outside the cubicle as Téa washed, watching the boys.

'I don't think we should cook the candy bars, Joey,' Yugi said.

'Back off,' Joey responded. 'I know what I'm doing.'

'Look at you go, Joey,' Mai said. 'Only thing missing is a chef's hat!' She waited until he started chuckling. 'And a cute apron.'

'Please!' Joey complained. 'All right, already!'

Sharee chuckled.

'Archaeology?' Mai asked her.

'Hm?' Sharee looked up at her. 'Yeah, my dad's an Egyptologist. I spent most of my life on one dig site or another.'

'Well, that explains how you know how to hunt,' Mai said. 'I imagine food would run low out there.'

'Especially in Egypt,' Sharee said. 'That's where dad specialises. But there you gotta go to the Nile to get something other than reptiles.'

'You have a cell phone,' Mai said.

'Yeah. And?' Sharee started working on the spaces between her toes.

'They cost a lot to get,' Mai said. 'I didn't think archaeologists made that much money.'

'They don't,' Sharee said. 'But we've been doing it for generations. And we've made a few really good investments. On top of that we keep suing the American government for compensation.'

Mai looked at her, startled. 'You can do that?'

'Eh.' Sharee shrugged. 'They offend us every ten years or something.'

'What?' Téa asked from in the cubicle.

'How?' Mai asked.

'Generally by slander.' Sharee chuckled. 'Shot at us in the twenties. Lied and then tried to bribe us in the thirties. Called us spies in the forties. Brought us before the House of Un-American Activities Committee in the fifties. Accused us of drug dealing in the sixties and then again in the seventies. Eighties were pretty quiet but a couple of years ago, they tried to use dad's own reform against him.' She laughed.

'What the House of Un-American Activities Committee?' Téa asked.

'It was organised in the fifties by Senator McCarthy,' Sharee explained. 'It was right after the war so the American populace were all scared of communists infiltrating the country, to the point where anybody could be accused. If you had any remote connection to anyone who was found guilty by the committee, then you couldn't be found innocent. Or if the government simply didn't like you.'

'Yeah, I'd heard that,' Mai said. 'And weren't the trials broadcast over the whole of the nation?'

Sharee smirked. 'So we just made a few comments. I think we've got a recording of it somewhere. But those comments were what tore the committee apart.'

Mai smiled. 'After hearing some of your comments, I can believe that. What about your dad's reform? What was that all about?'

'Well, before dad got it passed, it was common practice for an archaeologist to go into a historical site and just take the treasures they found,' Sharee said. 'Dad happened upon the idea that a lot of cultures believed those relics needed to be where they had been put. Removing them was disrespecting the dead, so dad got a law passed: if something is in a spot for a reason, removing it is now considered stealing. You can take photos and you can make charcoal rubbings of engravements, but you cannot actually remove them. It became known as the Archaeological History and Culture Preservation Reform.'

'Let me guess,' Mai said. 'They tried to say one of you violated this?'

Sharee smiled. 'Me, specifically. I got this bandanna on one of my Egypt trips. The ancient people believed that everything in the tombs would be needed in their afterlife, including their bodies. They tried to say I took this out of a tomb.'

Mai barked out a laugh. 'If that thing had been there since ancient times, it would now be frayed and threadbare. And that's if it was even still there!'

'I know!' Sharee laughed. 'It was the most ridiculous thing I ever heard!' But it was also accurate. Not that Mai would believe that. Thing was she'd been _given _the Bandanna by the spirit of Shamee, who was bound to it.

Yugi couldn't understand what had gotten Mai so uptight as they watched her leave. Sharee sighed and laid back, folding her hands behind her head. She didn't seem to really be worrying about it.

Sharee smiled. 'She's not used to it.'

'Eh?' Joey asked. 'Not used to what?'

Sharee sat up. 'People whose company she enjoys. My betting is she grew up isolated and having people around her is odd.'

'How do you know all that?' Téa asked.

'I said I spent a lot of time in Egypt,' Sharee said. 'When you're in Africa, you learn to judge character very quickly and accurately or you end up in a very unpleasant place.'

'Like what?' Tristan asked.

'On archaeological sites, three kinds of bad will usually manage to slip in under the radar,' Sharee said. She counted off on her fingers. 'Treasure hunters, slave traders and wife dealers.'

Yugi got it real fast. If you didn't learn to judge someone on first sight, you ended up injured, dead, a slave or, if you were a girl, one of many wives of a guy you didn't even want to marry. Téa drew back.

'Ugh! They can't just force you to marry them!' she insisted.

Sharee looked over at her. 'It's Africa, Téa. Yes, they can.' She shrugged. 'Although, Egypt's not as bad as other places.'

The bushes behind Téa suddenly rustled and she dived forward with and yelp. She nearly landed in Sharee's lap. Joey, Yugi and Tristan jumped up and ran forward defensively. It was only one person who came out, though, and it was someone they all knew.

'It's Bakura,' Yugi said.

Shamee immediately piped up when Yugi recognised him. _**Bakura? Who's he? A friend of yours?**_

_Yeah, he goes to our school. Wait, he's got a Millennium Item too, I think._

Shamee frowned. _**Which one?**_

_Uh…not sure, but…I've seen it. _Sharee visualised it.

_**That's the Millennium Ring! Sharee, quick! Get away!**_

Sharee internally chuckled. _From Bakura? Come on, Shamee. He wouldn't hurt a fly._

_**Bakura, maybe not, but…**_

_You're being paranoid. Not everyone with a Millennium Item is out to get us._

'See?' Téa asked. 'I told you! I haven't just been seeing things.'

'What are you doing way out here, Bakura?' Joey asked.

'Same as you guys, I guess,' Bakura said.

'You gave us a scare, sneaking around those bushes,' Tristan said. 'Especially after that yarn Sharee just told.'

Sharee beamed. 'Can I tell a scary story or can I tell a scary story?'

Joey chuckled. 'Yeah. For a minute there, we actually thought we had something to worry about. Pretty silly, huh?'

_**Not so silly.**_

_Are you still on this? I can shut the door, you know._

They all sat back down around the fire. They all had their duelling decks out.

'Joey, you've been staring at that card for like an hour,' Tristan said. 'What's up?'

'I'll tell you,' Joey said. 'Just don't laugh. Sometimes, when I'm in a duel, I pretend that it's me out there on the field swapping blows with whatever card my opponent has out.' He laughed. 'Isn't that dumb?'

'I wouldn't say so,' Sharee said. 'I'm sure lots of people do that.'

Bakura nodded and turned to him. 'Well, if you were, which card would you want to be, Joey?'

'Uh…' Joey went through his deck and pulled out the Flame Swordsman. 'This one. The Flame Swordsman kicks everybody's butt.' He jumped up and mined slashing down with a sword.'

'Not my guy's!' Tristan stood up with his card. 'The Cyber Commander!'

Sharee, Téa and Yugi smiled.

'You boys and your cards are hilarious,' Téa said.

'I think everyone has a card they can identify with,' Yugi said. 'You should see if you can pick one for yourself, Téa.'

Téa looked through her own deck. 'Okay.' She pulled out one card and put the rest away. 'I pick this one. The Magician of Faith.'

'What?' asked Tristan. 'You gotta be kidding me!'

'More like the Magician of Freaks if you ask me,' Joey said.

'Shut up!' Téa snapped, causing them to grab onto each other.

'What about you, Sharee?' Yugi asked.

Sharee, seeing this coming, had already pulled out hers. 'Simple. The Fire Sorcerer.' She held it up. She also knew it was Shamee's ka monster, but she found that one out after she'd found the card.

'Tell me which one you identify with, Yugi,' Bakura said.

'Oh, that's easy.' Yugi held up the card. 'Dark Magician, hands down.'

'Maybe I'm just out of the loop,' Téa said. 'But don't you guys think it's a little silly to be comparing ourselves to playing cards?'

'No,' Sharee said. 'Ancient Egyptians did it. In fact, right now, my dad's trying to prove that this game came from their Shadow Games.'

Yugi nodded. 'Yeah, I think Pegasus said something about that when he took grandpa's soul. He said the ancient Egyptians used to play with real monsters and real magic.'

'Yeah, but they could only call one monster and no others.' Sharee paused. 'Unless you happened to have that much power. Anyway, the one creature they could call was called their ka monster.'

'Could you explain that?' Yugi asked.

'Sure,' Sharee said, ignoring Shamee's warning not to say too much in front of Bakura. 'Ancient Egyptians believed they needed five different principles of themselves kept intact for them to survive in their afterlife. Two of these were the ka and the ba. The ba was the body, which was why mummification happened. And the ka was the soul. Your ka monster was a duel monster you called that came from your soul.'

Tristan looked at her. 'The scary thing is that you know this.'

Téa laughed. 'Her dad's an archaeologist who specialises in Egypt.'

'Isn't that an Egyptologist?' Yugi asked.

Sharee nodded.

'But it's like grandpa said,' Yugi told Téa. 'It's not about the cards. It's about putting a little bit of your heart into the things you care about.' His friends all nodded. Yugi turned. 'So which card do you care about most, Bakura?'

'This one is my favourite.' Bakura held up the card.

'Isn't that the Change of Heart card?' Yugi asked.

'Kind of a weird looking picture, don't you think?' Joey asked.

Bakura's eyes narrowed slightly. 'If you want to see how it works, we could have a duel right now. Not for star chips. Just for a little fun.'

_**Sharee!**_ She ignored the yell in her head and smiled with the rest of her friends.

'Sure,' Joey said. 'I'm down with that. After all this star chips stuff, it'll be nice to have a duel with no strings attached.'

'I agree,' Yugi said. 'I think just a regular old duel sounds like a great idea.'

'Why don't you guys each put your favourite card into Yugi's deck so it'll be like we're all playing?' Bakura suggested.

'That's a good idea,' Joey said.

'Yeah,' Tristan agreed.

Yugi smiled. 'Great. But I should warn you that with this all-star team of ours, we'll be tough to beat.'

Sharee, Téa, Tristan and Joey handed Yugi their favourite cards and he put them into the deck. As he shuffled them, Bakura responded. 'True, but maybe I'll surprise you.'

_**Sharee, listen to me! For Ra's sake, listen!**_ Sharee would usually, but Shamee was paranoid.

'This'll be fun,' Téa said.

They went over to a tree stump and set the duel up. Yugi sat on one side with the others behind him and Bakura sat on the other.

'All right,' Yugi said. 'I'm all shuffled.'

'You're sure you don't mind playing alone?' Téa asked Bakura.

Joey gave him a thumb's up. 'Don't you worry about a thing, Bakura. We'll go easy on you.'

'Thanks,' Bakura said.

'Right.' Joey stepped back. 'Now let's get this duel on the road.'

Shamee yelled in her head again. _**Sharee, please, listen! The Millennium Ring isn't like the others!**_ And Sharee finally paid attention, but only because a dark look came over Bakura's face.

_Come again?_

'Before we get started, there's a little something I'd like to share with you all,' Bakura said.

'Huh?' Tristan asked.

_**You're looking at Bakura's body only.**_

'And especially with you two, Yugi and Sharee,' Bakura went on.

_How's that different from you?_

'What's that?' asked Joey.

'You'll see.' Bakura chuckled a little. He closed his eyes and held his hands in front of his chest.

_**No, literally. Only his body.**_

'What's he doing?' Téa asked.

'This is getting freaky!' Joey insisted.

_Only…?_

Suddenly the air around his hands rippled and the Millennium Ring materialised.

'No!' Yugi cried. 'It can't be! A Millennium Item!'

'Did you not notice it before?' Sharee asked. 'I saw it first day he came to the school.' _**So think, Sharee. Why did he see the need to hide it until now?**_

'Yes!' Bakura's voice was completely different. 'And the magic of my Millennium Ring will take us to the Shadow Realm.'

'Man, I hate magic,' Joey said.

Sharee ground her teeth. 'So much for no strings!'

'Why are you doing this, Bakura?' Yugi demanded.

'I don't think that is Bakura,' Sharee stated.

_Clever girl. _The voice of the entity rang in their heads with a malicious sort of glee. The Millennium Ring glowed brightly. One part of Sharee wanted to run but she knew there'd be nowhere for her to go. _You've both something I want, Yugi and Sharee, and I aim to take it!_

Sharee felt a harsh ripping sensation. The last thing she heard before blackness enveloped her was _**Sharee!**_

When Sharee's soul was ripped out, Shamee's first instinct was to immediately take control of the body even as it fell, but she knew she had to alert Yami to the problem before she went and did that. As she reached out with her mind to give him a required nudge, she found him dozing within the Chamber of the Mind. A nudge was all she could do.

It worked, she felt him come to full consciousness and his heart changed from contented to anxious in one second. He'd noticed his young host was missing. Shamee listened to Bakura. Chuckling, he stood. She didn't see it but she could hear all of it.

'That wasn't too difficult.' He began walking over. 'Their souls have been locked away. And now, after waiting for countless centuries, both the legendary Millennium Puzzle and the accompanying Millennium Bandanna are mine!'

Shamee felt the return nudge and she and Yami slipped into control of their respective vessels. It was something Bakura obviously wasn't prepared for. He cried out and backed away as they opened their eyes and stood up. Shamee came and took her usual place behind Yami, to his right and an inch away.

'No!' he demanded, staring at the two of them. 'It can't be!'

'You want our Millennium Items?' Yami demanded, folding his arms across his chest and standing straight. 'Then you're going to have to duel me for them. But if I win, you'll release my friends and sends us all back!'

Bakura recovered and laughed. 'I agree to your ridiculous terms, Yugi. But I promise you there is more at stake here than you comprehend and this is one Shadow Game that you cannot win!'

* * *

I thought it was time I explained why Sharee's so good at everything we've seen her do.

AN: the sterotype I made in this chapter is merely the experiences of a sixteen year old girl.


	13. Evil Spirit Of The Ring

DISCLAIMER: If you recognise it from somewhere else, it isn't mine.

* * *

**Evil Spirit Of The Ring**

Bakura stood on one side of the tree stump. Yami and Shamee stood on the other. They stared each other down for a time that only those with infinite patience could. Yami was the first to speak.

'Bakura, what have you done? Why have you taken us to the Shadow Realm?'

The other boy laughed. 'Bakura? Bakura is no longer here.'

'So my host was right, then,' Shamee said.

'Indeed she was,' the entity using his body said.

'If you're not Bakura, then who are you?' Yami demanded.

'I am a thief and a stealer of souls,' the entity said. 'And I have done terrible things in my quest to possess the Millennium Items. You do remember the legends, don't you?'

Yami's frown deepened. Yes, he did.

'Whosoever wields all seven Millennium Items shall possess power unimaginable,' the entity said. 'And before I'm done with you, your Millennium Puzzle will me mine. And the Bandanna will be next.'

Yami wrapped his hand around the Puzzle in question. 'That's not going to happen, whoever you are!'

'Then let the Shadow Game begin. The first move is yours.'

They knelt down and each drew five cards each. Shamee stood behind him but before the first move could be made, Yami heard the sound of pattering small feet. He turned his head and Shamee turned her body.

'It's the little boy,' she said.

At that moment, the little boy from the last time ran out of the Shadows. His purple eyes were wide and he shot right past Shamee. Yami raised his free arm in time to catch the child as he clamped to his side. Wrapping his arm protectively around him, Yami looked down in confusion. Why did he come again?

The little boy's fists grabbed Yami's jacket and tugged urgently. 'They went in the cards! They went in the cards!'

'What?' Yami asked.

The evil spirit within Bakura growled. 'Tattling brat!'

'Oh, rat rot!' Shamee scowled. 'This guy had our modern-day friends each pick out their favourite cards and put them in that deck and then he took their souls.'

It hit Yami like a shot arrow. He looked down in his hand. Both the Fire Sorcerer and the Cyber Commander were in his hand. That meant the cards contained Sharee's and Tristan's mortal souls.

_**So this boy was watching the whole thing! And he came out to warn me before I played any of these cards.**_ Yami looked down at the child clinging to his torso. 'Thank you.'

The boy smiled and relaxed a little bit but he stayed where he was. Shamee's hand landed on Yami's shoulder. He looked up at her. There was a thoughtful frown on her face but she pointed to the Fire Sorcerer.

'Sharee is aware of the Shadow Games and all their implications,' she said. 'She also comes from a long line of survivors.'

So it would be best to play her.

The evil spirit sniggered. 'Such a pity for her to break the cycle.'

'Shamee believes in her host,' Yami said. 'And so do I.' He took the card and laid it down. 'I play the Fire Sorcerer in attack mode!'

A glow came out of the card and Sharee stood there, miniaturised and dressed like her favourite card. First she looked down across the field and then down at herself. She looked up at Bakura and then turned to look back at Yami and Shamee, only glancing at the little boy.

'A Shadow Game?' she asked.

'I'm afraid so,' Yami said. 'An evil spirit has taken over Bakura and unless I win this, your souls will be trapped in your favourite cards forever.'

Sharee nodded. 'Or claimed by the Reaper if we're destroyed in this duel.' She looked up at Shamee. 'I will never doubt you again.'

'Good to know.' Shamee gave her a thumb's up.

Sharee nodded and turned back around. She folded her arms, stood and faced the other side of the duel board. The evil spirit looked at her with distain, like he didn't really appreciate that she was the one that was summoned.

'Well, that was a pain,' he said. 'I'll lay one monster face-down on the field.' The card went down.

Yami saw Sharee tense slightly but she knew she was safe for now. She turned and looked up at him, waiting. Yami drew and then pulled another card from his hand. He didn't like to do this but he was choice-less.

'And next card, the Cyber Commander.' Yami laid it in defence mode. 'Sharee?'

Sharee nodded. The image glowed and Tristan appeared. To say he didn't take the situations as calmly as Sharee would be an understatement. First, he didn't seem to register it was real.

Tristan looked down at the gun in his hands. 'What a weird dream.'

Sharee groaned. 'Tristan, if it was dream, you'd have just woken up.'

Tristan looked at her and then around. He didn't turn though. Then he started panicking. 'What? What the heck? How am I…? What? Oh, my God, I'm…' Then he started screaming.

Sharee shot across and swung. Her palm connected with his face, cutting of the yell and his head twisted to the side. Yami looked up at Shamee in askance. She smiled and shrugged. 'These days, people hit each other to bring them down from hysterics. Girls slap. Boys punch.'

The spirit chuckled. 'How amusing. Who's your little friend, Yugi? He looks pretty tough, but can he deal with this?'

Bakura flipped over his downed card. 'The White Magical Hat! Attack!'

The monster appeared on the field and ran at Tristan. He spun around and stared with wide eyes. But Sharee did something no one was expecting. She grabbed Tristan and threw him to the ground, but as she touched him she muttered an incantation. The Fire Sorcerer's attack power rose by 750. Then she spun around and pushed out her hand, splaying her fingers wide. Fire shot out from her palm. With the greater attack power, she easily destroyed the White Magical Hat. The evil spirit growled in annoyance as his life points dropped to 1200.

'I told you she was good!' Shamee was almost gloating.

'Good work, Sharee,' Yami said. The boy clinging to him let go only to clap.

Sharee turned around and grinned. 'Thank you.'

'What…?' Tristan shook his head, looking around wildly.

'Long story short?' Sharee offered him her hand. 'There's an evil spirit in Bakura who trapped us in our favourite cards. Unless we win this and we all stay in one piece, we'll be trapped here forever. That means we gotta keep our heads.'

Tristan looked at her hand and then at her. He turned and looked behind him at the three of them. Then he looked back at Sharee and took her hand. She pulled him up to his feet and he sighed.

'Thanks, Sharee,' Tristan said. 'I owe you.'

'Don't mention it.' Sharee smiled and turned back to Yami. Tristan followed suit.

Yami looked down again. Tristan would have lost his soul forever if not for Sharee's quick thinking. _**I'd like to avoid using the cards with my friends souls trapped in them…**_His thoughts were interrupted by Sharee.

'If you've got another one of us in your hand, I don't think we're safe anywhere but in the deck,' she said.

Yami looked up at Shamee for a second opinion. She nodded. 'She has a set of nearly infallible instincts cultivated by her family being in the archaeology business for nearly two hundred years. It only fails if her scientific reasoning gets in the way.'

That meant he'd have to do this. As much as he didn't want to…Yami pulled the card from his hand. 'Joey's favourite card.' He laid it down. 'The Flame Swordsman!'

The card was in attack mode and Joey appeared on the field, dressed as the Flame Swordsman. Sharee and Tristan watched as he seemed to have a very different reaction from either of them.

Sharee watched Joey appear.

'Hey!' He looked surprised. 'What gives? Hey, Yugi…' He turned around and screamed. 'What the…? You're a giant! Oh, man! I finally cracked.'

'Joey, listen to me,' Yami said. 'Your soul has been sealed inside your favourite card. You've become the Flame Swordsman.'

'I'm the who?' Joey demanded.

'If I don't win this duel, we can't restore you to normal,' Yami said. 'But if you're defeated in this battle, you'll be carried off to the card graveyard and the Reaper of the Cards will claim your soul.'

'Graveyard?' Joey demanded.

'Calm down!' Sharee told him as she marched over. 'If we panic, our chances of survival and escape lessen!'

Joey looked at her and exhaled heavily.

'In order for me to win this duel, restore you to your bodies and get us out of the Shadow Realm, I'm going to need your help,' Yami said.

Joey grinned at him. 'You want my help, you got my help.'

Well…that was easy. He didn't panic for as long as Tristan had. Even Yami and Shamee looked confused at that. The little boy clinging to Yami – it was the same one that showed up when Pegasus brought them to the Shadow Realm so his mother couldn't be far away – looked at Joey with wide inquisitive eyes.

'Are you sure you're okay?' Yami asked.

'Okay?' Joey asked. 'I figure I've lost my mind, but I'm gonna go with it.' He turned around. 'Now, who wants a beating…?' He spotted Bakura and yelled out in shock. 'Giant Bakura? Now I know I'm nuts! I'm, like, six inches tall, wearing a dress, about to fight my giant friend?'

'That's not Bakura,' Sharee told him. 'I said it before.'

Yami explained. 'An evil spirit from his Millennium Ring has taken him over.'

'Well.' Joey nodded once. 'I have no idea what you're talking about, but it's cool. What are we fighting?'

'We're just on stand-by for now,' Sharee said. 'And I'm afraid to tell you that you haven't lost your mind. This is really happening.'

Bakura glared at them and laid a card face-down.

'Huh?' Yami asked. 'Why'd he play that card face-down?'

'Because he's afraid of what Joey the Swordsman's about to do to it,' Joey said.

'Wait, it could be a trap,' Yami said.

'No worries!' Joey charged.

'No, wait!' yelled Yami.

'Joey!' Sharee and Tristan yelled at him. That guy was just too pig-headed for his own good.

The card flipped up and went out at Joey but he slashed it. 'See, easy.'

'No!' Sharee hissed.

'It's a Morphing Jar,' Yami said.

'Huh?' Joey turned around. 'A Morphing Jar. Did I screw up?'

'Yes,' Sharee said.

'When a Morphing Jar is attacked both players have to send their hand to the graveyard,' Yami explained. 'We're just really lucky that I didn't have Téa's soul-card in my hand right now.'

'Whoa.' Joey dropped to his knees. 'Sorry, Yug.'

'Or Yugi's for that matter,' Sharee said. Time to let the cat out of the bag. Yami nodded once and discarded his hand.

Tristan looked at her. 'Wait, isn't Yugi duelling?'

Sharee looked at him. 'Sort of.'

Yami discarded his hand and drew five new cards. The way his eyes widened for a moment, Sharee guessed that he'd picked up one of the two remaining soul-cards. The evil spirit chuckled.

'With a new hand…' He laid a card face-down in defence mode. '…comes a whole new perspective. The game…' He laid another card face-down. '…ever-shifting, new dangers surround every turn.'

Yami laid a card down. 'The Dark Magician.'

Sharee began walking over even as the card lit up and the soul within was released. She knew the confusion that would follow and that it fell to her to explain it. Yugi appeared on the board. By far the most calm aside from her, he blinked at the sight before him.

'It's okay, Yugi,' Sharee said.

Yugi looked at her and turned around, looking up at Yami. 'But just one second ago, I was up there.'

'Yeah,' Tristan said. 'If you're down here, then who's that up there?'

Yugi stared up at…well, himself and Sharee, even though she was also standing right next to him. He was about to answer Tristan's question with "I don't know", but Sharee cut him off.

'We'll call him Yami for now. The one behind him, in my body, is called Shamee.'

'You knew about this?' Joey asked.

'A lot of people who get into archaeology don't read the fine print.' Sharee folded her arms across her chest. 'Magic is a big part of the industry. I grew up on that so I'm not like most people. As a rule, our minds reject things we can't understand.' She looked at Yugi. 'That's why you had all those blanks in your memory every time Yami had to take control of your body. In time, you could rationalise some of it so they became more and more infrequent. Of that, what do you remember?'

Yugi stared up at Yami. 'Well, I've noticed that sometimes, when I'm duelling, it feels as if someone is guiding me.'

Yami smiled encouragingly and nodded.

Yugi looked back at his friends. 'And sometimes it's like I can hear a strong voice calling out to me from my Millennium Puzzle, an ancient, powerful voice.'

'Bright lad,' Sharee said, smiling. 'Yugi, you and I are the vessels for these two spirits, who are the most benevolent ones that I have ever even heard of.'

Joey and Tristan blinked at the two of them.

'Huh?' Joey asked.

'Really?' Tristan managed a bit more.

'I'm not sure what it's all about,' Yugi said. He could see his friends weren't sure what to make of this. 'But I'm pretty sure we can trust them, whoever they are.'

'Right.' Sharee nodded.

'Hey,' Joey said. 'If the big guys are okay in your book, then they're okay by me.'

'Yeah,' Tristan agreed.

'So now what?' Yugi asked.

'Now…' Sharee turned. 'We finish this duel and deal with spirit that's possessed Bakura, before Téa's card gets played.'

'Good idea.' Yugi thought it was very interesting how Sharee was talking like they weren't also possessed, even by benevolent spirits, like Bakura was.

Joey turned. 'I'm gonna bash me some Bakura.'

'Hang on, Joey,' Yugi said. 'I was just played so I have to move.' He raised the staff. 'Dark Magic attack!'

The card flipped up. 'No!' Yugi cried. 'Another Morphing Jar!'

'How many of those does he have?' Sharee growled.

The evil spirit chuckled. 'We'll have to send all the cards in our hands to the graveyard again.'

Yugi turned. 'I'm sorry.'

'It's okay, man,' Joey said. 'I did the same thing.'

They watched Yami fold his hand and put his card into the graveyard. He drew five more cards and a look came onto his face. Yugi had a nasty feeling that he'd just picked up Téa's soul-card. Beside him, Sharee ground her teeth.

Yami confirmed it. 'No! The Magician of Faith!'

The evil spirit smirked. 'Hm. Isn't that Téa's favourite card? Do you suppose that her mortal soul is trapped within it? Hm, I wonder. Maybe you should play it and find out. But then again…' He laid down another card face-down in defence mode. '…you don't know what I'm laying here, so you might be putting her in danger.' He smirked. 'A dilemma. And while you decide, I'll just active this trap card.'

'No!' Yami drew back.

'Just Deserts! I think it will help you come to grips with your present situation.'

A large hand came out of the card and wrapped around Yami's head, draining his life points down to 200. That was when Yugi noticed the small child clinging to him. The boy whimpered and tightened his grip on Yami. What was a kid doing here?

When the hand retreated, Yami slumped slightly and his free hand came to rest on the boy's shoulders. He rubbed the child's back reassuringly, despite the fact that he was clearly in pain. The hand holding the cards was rubbing over his heart.

'Just Deserts takes 400 points for each of your monsters on the field and you'll feel like each and every point has been ripped from your beating heart!'

'Yami!' Sharee called. 'Are you okay?'

'Yes,' Yami said, despite the fact that his voice was laced with pain. 'But one more attack like that and it's over!'

'Whoa,' Tristan said. 'That trap just nailed Yami's life points! Or maybe I should say _our_ life points.'

Yami growled and laid a card face-down on the field. A glow came from beneath and it lifted. Téa was underneath, dressed as the Magician of Faith. She didn't notice that there was something wrong right away.

Téa looked around in confusion and then smiled when she saw them. 'Hey, what's up!'

The rest of them froze.

'She's making Joey look like a genius right now,' Sharee muttered.

The four of them jumped forward and blocked Téa from Bakura's view.

'Uh…guys?' Téa asked.

'Quiet!' Joey insisted.

'It's a little early for Halloween, don't you think?' she asked.

'Pot, kettle, black!' Sharee hissed at her.

'Huh?' Téa finally seemed to notice. 'What the…? What's this?'

'What does it look like?' Sharee demanded under her breath.

'Shush!' Joey insisted. 'Bakura and Yugi are big duelling giants and are fighting for our souls.'

'But Yugi's right here!' Téa insisted.

'Yeah, well, the big guy's not really me, but he's not really not me either,' Yugi said.

'Okay!' Sharee heaved a sigh. 'I'll explain it how I understand it! Yugi and I are the vessels for a couple of Ancient Egyptian spirits who had their souls sealed in our respective Millennium Items back in the times of the original Shadow Games. Yugi agreed to share his body with Yami when he slid the last piece of the Millennium Puzzle into place. I agreed to share my body with Shamee when I touched the eye of the Millennium Bandanna. We're the way for them to get around to finish whatever it is they started five thousand years ago.'

'You don't know what it is?' Téa asked.

'Well, neither do they,' Sharee said. 'Their memories were all buried for some reason.' She folded her arms across her chest. 'My reckoning is they did it themselves because they died fighting to save the world. I could be wrong, but that's how I get it.'

Shamee smiled as she listened to this. Sharee had grasped the explanation quite well and phrased it correctly too. Bakura smirked and laid another card face-down. Yami drew again and pulled a card out. 'All right, then! Soul-stealer, I'll play my next card face-down.' He laid it down. 'And it's your move.'

The evil spirit looked down and the other four quickly tried to cover Téa so he couldn't see her. He raised his chin. 'Don't bother, you fools, I can see her perfectly well. Now I have all five of you right where I want you. Helpless on the field…' He took a card out of his hand. 'Easy prey for my Man-Eater Bug!'

Yugi and Sharee drew back, clearly very aware of what that was.

'Man-Eater Bug?' Téa asked as she stood up. 'I'm glad I'm a girl!'

Joey turned to the smallest of them. 'Yugi, what's that card do?'

'The Man-Eater Bug can automatically destroy one creature on the field as soon as it's flipped up,' Yugi said.

Téa gasped. 'Well, that's certainly not good.'

Shamee suddenly turned her head as she sensed another familiar heart coming from behind them. 'Hm?'

Yami turned as well. The kids on the board wouldn't be able to see yet but Shamee, Yami and the evil spirit all watched as the woman walked out of the Shadows. She was exactly as she'd been last time. She looked at the evil spirit and scowled.

'Oh, not you again!'

'Who's that?' Tristan asked.

Sharee cocked her head. 'I remember the voice. It's that little boy's mother. I think she knows Yami and Shamee, probably from their lifetimes.'

'By any chance,' Shamee said to the woman, 'could you tell us who has taken control of Bakura's body?'

The woman walked forward. Despite the fact that his mother was there, the little boy did not leave Yami's side. She stepped up behind the man in question and nodded once, jade eyes glaring at Bakura. Now she was standing where everyone could see her, next to Shamee. 'Yes. That's the Thief King. He's the most loyal servant of the Dark One, who's been imprisoned.'

'The Dark One?' Yami asked.

The woman nodded. 'The Thief King wants the Millennium Items so he can release his master.'

'So that's what nearly destroyed the entire world back then,' Sharee said. 'The Dark One!'

'Yes.' The woman nodded again.

'But if the Dark One's released, won't that just happen again?' Yugi asked.

'Which is why it can't happen.' The woman then laid her hands on Yami's shoulders and leaned down. She whispered something in his ear. Shamee didn't hear what was said but it certainly interested Yami.

The Thief King chuckled. 'Just you watch.'

'First let's finish this duel,' Sharee said. 'But the Man-Eater Bug's a problem. We can't just attack it before he goes to use it.'

Yugi nodded. 'The moment we make an attack, that card will activate.'

'There's a way to stop that Man-Eater Bug, but…it does come with a condition.' Sharee said as she and Yugi turned to the card behind them.

'Right,' Tristan said. 'The trap card Yami laid down.'

'Yeah,' Yugi said. 'But I'm afraid, to use it, the card requires that we sacrifice a creature.'

'You mean, one of us?' Téa asked, horrified.

'Yes,' Sharee said.

'Don't worry, Tea.' Tristan stepped forward. 'I'll go!'

'No way, Tristan!' Téa insisted.

'Think about it,' he said. 'That Man-Eater Bug's going to take one of us out no matter what we do! At least this way, I'm taking it out too…' Joey rammed his sword into Tristan's gut. 'I guess you disagree.'

Evidentially, he did. 'You gotta stay and look after these guys.' Joey faced it. 'If anyone's going, it's me!'

'Joey, wait!' Yugi called.

'It's too late!' Téa cried. She was right.

Joey was already charging. He stood on top of the card and raised his sword. 'How tough can this bug be?' The Man-Eater Bug appeared and Joey was clinging to its head as it thrashed around. 'Yami, use the trap! Do it! Do it now!'

Shamee saw something in Yami's face besides shock. The woman behind him squeezed his shoulders. In the next instant, he'd flipped the card over and the trap activated. 'I'm activating a trap, sacrificing my Flame Swordsman to do so – the Horn of Heaven! Blasting it celestial tune directly at your Man-Eater Bug, obliterating him from the field once and for all!'

A bright light shot up, destroying the Man-Eater Bug…and Joey.

'Joey!' Yugi called as he climbed to his feet.

'What's happening to him?' Téa demanded.

'It's the trap,' Sharee said.

'He's disappearing!' Tristan exclaimed.

Joey yelled out one more thing. 'Don't worry about me!' Then he was gone.

Yami had forgotten just how brave some people could be. And he'd forgotten how much that hurt people who'd never seen death before. Yugi and Téa were in shock. Sharee was angry, but tears were streaming down her face – clearly an exception to that.

'He's gone,' Tristan said. 'Just like that! My best buddy's gone.'

'Don't worry,' the Thief King said. 'You'll soon join him in the graveyard. You can spend an eternity together.'

Yami growled and stared at him, trying to think. There had to be a way to get Joey out of there. Unfortunately, Yugi's deck contained only one Monster Reborn card. And that was sitting in his graveyard.

'I hope you don't harbour any illusions about rescuing your friend Joey from the graveyard,' the Thief King said. 'From the look on your face, you haven't got Reborn the Monster, the only way to get him back. And soon the Reaper of Cards will claim his soul forever!'

'Poor Joey,' Téa said. 'He sacrificed himself. He can't be gone.' A tear fell from her cheek and landed on the card beneath her. Immediately, it began to glow bright and so did she.

That was right!

'Téa?' Yugi turned around. So did Sharee and Tristan.

'Of course!' Sharee slapped herself in the forehead. 'Her tear activated the magic effect of the Magician of Faith!'

'That's right,' Yami said. 'And the magic of the Magician of Faith allows me to bring back one card from the discard pile and add it to my hand!' As he spoke the glow went from Téa to his hand and the card appeared. 'And the card I choose – Reborn the Monster!' He laid the card down. 'Which I play now!'

Joey appeared on the card and flinched away from what had been happening. 'No, I don't wanna…!' He lifted his head. 'Huh? Wha…?' He looked around and Yugi, Sharee, Tristan and Téa rushed over to him.

'Joey!'

'You're back!' Yugi said.

Joey looked up at him and grinned. 'All right!'

The Thief King glared at him. 'You waste your time and your turns rescuing these foolish mortals.'

'My friends are never a waste of time,' Yami said. 'Make your move.'

The Thief King chuckled. 'Oh, I'll move and you will lose. This is the play that will end the match and win me your Millennium Puzzle and then it's Shamee's turn.' He laid a card down. 'First I will play the Lady of Faith in attack mode. Then the card that will turn your friends against one another.' He held it up. 'The Change of Heart!'

Yami nearly smirked. That was what he'd been waiting for since the woman had come and whispered in his ear. But why did her breath across his skin make the hair on the back of his neck stand? Why did it cause a barely-repressed shiver to run through him?

'Change of heart?' Yugi asked. 'Isn't that Bakura's favourite card?'

'And a very magical card, it is,' the Thief King said. 'With this card, I can turn you against your comrades. The very friends you sought to protect you will now destroy.' And he was talking directly to Yugi.

'No! I refuse!' Yugi insisted defiantly.

'You won't have a choice in the matter,' the Thief King said. 'The Change of Heart card allows me to control any opposing monster and I choose you, little Yugi.'

Even though he had a strong feeling it wouldn't work, Yami became angry. When he'd merged with the short-statured boy, he'd sworn to protect him. 'Leave the young one out of this!'

'Why should I?' the Thief King asked. 'By simply destroying him, I defeat you as well. Prepared to die to protect him? Then protect him against this!' He laid the card down.

The light from the card was brighter than any other. Yugi raised his arm to shield himself. Sharee, Téa, Tristan and Joey all called out his name. Only Shamee's centuries of disciple kept her from doing much more than stepping forward and only the woman's reassuring grip on Yami's shoulders kept him calm. The little boy cried out and buried his face in Yami's jacket.

The glow died down and, besides the woman behind him, Yami was the only one on their side not surprised.

'Huh?' Yugi said. 'It's Bakura!'

'The real Bakura!' Téa cried.

Just as the woman had said. And that wasn't all she'd told him. He'd gathered enough power now and he could feel it.

'Bakura,' Yugi said. 'So your soul was sealed into your favourite card too!'

Bakura moved. 'I want to help, but we must act quickly, Yugi!' He possessed the Lady of Faith. Its features became his. 'I've taken over one of his cards instead of yours!'

The Thief King cried out in surprise.

'I'll control it while you attack me,' Bakura said. 'So you can win against the evil Bakura.'

'I can't,' Yugi said. 'I'd be destroying you! Sending you to the graveyard!'

'I don't care,' Bakura insisted. 'It's better than being enslaved by an evil spirit! Do it!'

'Be quiet!' the Thief King ordered.

Now was the time to move. The Millennium Eye glowed on Yami's head. 'I have a better idea! The evil power of Bakura's Millennium Ring can pull souls from people, in turn the power of my Millennium Puzzle can put them back!' As he spoke he swapped Bakura around with the Thief King.

The little boy by his side clapped again. 'Yay!'

'All right!' Joey cheered. 'Our Bakura's back where he belongs!'

'But what happened to the evil guy?' Tristan asked.

'There!' Sharee pointed to the Lady of Faith.

'This can't be!' the Thief King cried.

'Listen closely, Yugi,' Yami said. 'Use the power of the Dark Magician! Send him to the graveyard! Now!'

'You got it!' Yugi extended his hand. 'Dark Magic Attack!'

The attack hit and the Thief King was banished to the graveyard. Yami then used the power of his puzzle again, returning the rest of the misplaced souls to their bodies. Before he took them from Shadow Realm, however, the woman and the boy stepped back. There was something in the woman's eyes though.

It was something he couldn't place. She looked…sad. But she smiled and said, 'See you next time, Prince.' She then took her son and they walked back into the shadows.

Shamee scratched her nose. 'Well, the plot thickens.'

Only Yugi, Sharee and Bakura were still awake.

'Are you okay, Bakura?' Yugi asked.

'I am now,' he said. 'Thanks to you.'

Sharee and Yugi smiled.

Yugi looked at the thing hanging around Bakura's neck. 'Where did you get your Millennium Ring.'

'My father picked it up on one of his trips,' Bakura said, looking down at it. 'He told me it's from ancient Egypt. I think that's where they're all from. He was shopping in a merchant bazaar when the Millennium Ring caught his eye. The man who sold the Ring to my father said it had something to do with Duel Monsters, but that never made sense to be since the card game is new and the Ring is clearly ancient.'

'Maybe I ought to explain it to you then,' Sharee said. 'You see, the Ancient Egyptians used to play a game that was a variant on Duel Monsters. That Shadow Game is exactly what I'm talking about.'

'Wait, Pegasus said something about that,' Yugi said.

'That's the only time I've ever heard of him admitting it,' Sharee said. 'When my father questioned him about it, he got a denial. But I know the contrary because of Shamee. So dad's big project now is proving the connection between the two games.'

'Is Shamee why your dad had that reform made?' Yugi asked. Téa had told him about that.

Sharee nodded. 'Once he knew she was here…' She tapped her forehead. '…he also realised she wouldn't be able to protect her own beliefs quite as well so he picked his words carefully, aiming to make it illegal to remove and import Ancient Egyptian artefacts most prominently.'

'I see,' Bakura said. 'Wait, is your father the American Dr. Dennis Pertinicle?'

'Yup.' Sharee smiled.

'Yes, I've met him.' Bakura nodded. 'When he saw the Ring, he advised I be careful.'

'He would,' Sharee said. 'So your father gave it to you when he got back?'

'He said he felt I was destined to have it.'

The conversation stopped as their other three friends woke up.

Tristan sat up. 'I just dreamt Bakura went totally mental!'

'Same here.' Joey scratched his head. 'Last time I snooze with duelling cards under my pillow.'

Seemingly amused, Bakura stepped towards them. 'Sleep well, guys?'

'Bakura!' Tristan and Joey grabbed onto each other in fear. Sharee and Yugi started laughing at them. They froze up.

'Hands off,' Tristan said.

'You grabbed me,' Joey argued.

They threw themselves back from each other. Bakura and Téa joined in with the laughter. All their amusement slowly died down though.

Téa put her finger to her cheek. 'I dreamt…we were dressed as duel monsters and there were two Yugis and two Sharees.'

Yugi froze up, trying to think of a way to explain that, Bakura scratched his cheek nervously and Sharee suddenly found the dirt of immense interest. But they were saved by the bell…or rather by the scream that ripped through the forest and caused a flock of birds to take off. Yugi, Sharee and Bakura twisted around. Joey, Tristan and Téa jumped to their feet.

'That voice…' Joey said. 'Sounded like Mai!'

'It is her!' Sharee exclaimed.

'Let's go!' Yugi led the way as they all ran in the direction it came from. 'Whatever it is, we'll face it together!'


	14. The Light at the End of the Tunnel

DISCLAIMER: If you recognise it from somewhere else, it isn't mine.

* * *

**The Light At The End Of The Tunnel**

Yugi felt the Spirit of the Puzzle shifting in his mind, preparing to come out, as they ran to the source of the scream. That was new. Maybe it was due to the fact that he was now fully aware of Yami's presence.

They soon arrived at the Duelling arena to find a very giant man had gotten all of Mai's star chips. He quite eagerly announced he disposed of duellists as a job. Tristan's response was simple.

'Doesn't that make you a garbage man?'

'This is no joke!' Mai insisted. 'Panik's one of the island's eliminators and if you don't get out of here he'll do the same to you as what he did to me.'

'Eliminator?' Yugi asked. 'What's that, Mai?'

'Look!' Panik yanked her arm up. 'This is what she means right here! Check her duellist's glove. Not a star chip left.'

'But that would mean she's been disqualified,' Téa said.

'You're out, Mai?' Yugi asked.

'I am,' she said. 'It all happened so fast. The way Panik duels, I just…lost it.'

'This isn't right,' Téa said.

'Ha!' Panik threw her forward. 'She was one of my easiest victims yet!'

Sharee scowled. 'I've met a few treasure hunters like you and they all ended up kissing the dirt.'

'You creep!' Joey ran forward.

Sharee put her arm out before he could pass while Tristan and Bakura grabbed his arms. She looked at him. 'That wasn't an invitation to attack him, Joey.'

'I don't care! Move it!' Joey told them. 'There's no excuse for pushing a girl!'

Yugi noticed that Sharee's eyebrows went up only for a second. Shamee had likely just told her something.

'Cool it!' Bakura told him. 'I know, Joey. I know how you feel but that guy's more than twice your size!'

'I can take him!' Joey insisted.

'No, Joey. Fists aren't the answer.' Yugi knew what had to be done. He experimentally reached into his own mind. He felt a response and almost heard the words "I'm here". He knew Yami was already prepared for the upcoming duel, cause Yugi sure couldn't do it on his own. 'Violence won't solve anything. I've dealt with a lot of bullies in my life and I'm afraid there's only one way to deal with them.' He walked forward.

'What do you mean?' Joey asked.

Yugi stopped in front of Panik. He looked up and said, 'You have to stand up to them.' And he relinquished control of his body to Yami.

Yami opened his eyes. That transition was easier. He didn't lose his sight once. Shamee was right. Yugi's knowledge of him in his mind made the whole thing a lot easier. They'd have to find a way to speak like Shamee and Sharee did. Speaking of which, they'd switched at the same time he and Yugi had.

'But, Yugi…' Mai began.

'Now, let's see you try your intimidation tactics against me, Panik.' Yami pointed at him accusingly. 'I don't scare easy, especially when I'm standing up for my friends so let's duel!'

'You twerp!' Panik seized Mai's wrist again. 'I'll eliminate you from the tournament just like I did her. Tell him how I trashed you!'

'Please, Yugi,' Mai begged.

'Let her go, Panik!' Yami barked. 'If you're looking to bully someone, try bullying me. Playtime is now over, Panik. It's time to duel.' He looked over his shoulder. Shamee was right where she always was – an inch back on his right side. He nodded his head.

Shamee moved over and with a quick jab to Panik's wrist, pulled Mai out of his grip. Before he could react, she pulled Mai back from him and over to their group. Mai looked at her in confusion.

'How'd you do that?' Mai asked.

'Pressure point,' Shamee said simply.

Panik sneered and walked around to the other side while Yami walked over and stepped onto duelling platform. His friends ran to the side where they could see all the action. Joey immediately started cheering.

'All right, Yugi! No problem! Show Panik here how we deal with dogs like him!'

A quick check with Yugi and, to Yami's amusement, he found that Joey, Tristan and Téa thought their little spat in the Shadow Realm with the Thief King was just a dream. Like Shamee said, their minds rejected what they couldn't understand. They came to what they believed to be a logical conclusion. And Yugi's explanation for letting them keep that belief was also reasonable: _To be honest, I'm not really sure what to make of you. I'd like to know more about you before I tell them you're here._

'Yugi, huh?' Panik asked. 'Must by my lucky day. Pegasus has promised a generous bounty to the eliminator who defeats you. I wonder…think he'd throw in some extra cash for inflicting bodily harm? Not that I wouldn't do it for free.'

Yami scoffed and shut his eyes. 'You better start thinking of other ways to make money, Panik. Because after I get down with you,' he opened his eyes, 'not only will you be out some star chips, but you'll be out of the job.'

'Whoever said I was an eliminator just for the money, Yugi?' Panik asked. 'I've made enough cash to have retired long ago. But I won't quit because there's no better thrill than breaking weak duellists like you! So get ready, Yugi. I'm about to take you into a world of hurt!'

Ah. He was one of those. 'I won't be bullied by the likes of you, Panik. I play with my heart! That's why I'll always win against your type.'

'You've never faced my type before,' Panik said. 'When I'm in a match with someone, there's a lot more to it than sheer duelling strategy.'

That didn't sound good. 'Meaning?'

'Panik's ruthless, Yugi!' Mai called. 'He had me totally terrified!'

Panik chuckled. 'That's right! And she's not the first, either. We eliminators have built our career on stalking weak players like her and strong-arming them into duelling us. You see, when you're as good as I am, you learn to appreciate the hunt as much as the duel itself. And now I'm going to take you down just like I did Mai!' He laughed.

Yami smirked. 'I see how you work, Panik. Sneaking up on unsuspecting duellists because you haven't the courage to challenge them face to face.'

That cut him off. 'Watch your mouth, you insolent cur!'

Yami narrowed his eyes. 'True duellists fight with honour and respect, not the underhanded tactics of a poacher!'

Panik glared at him and growled.

Yami held up his hand. 'And to prove it, I wager all the star chips I have to win back Mai's.'

'It's a deal,' Panik said. 'If you win, I'll give you all eight of her star chips. The bet makes no difference to me.'

'What do you mean?' Yami asked.

'What I mean, little Yugi,' Panik seemed to be doing something on his side of the arena, 'is that when you duel against Panik…' Shackles came out of the duelling platform and clamped around Yami's ankles. '…you're putting much more than just your measly star chips on the line.' Small devices came out of the edge of the arena on his side and shot fire out at him. 'Much more!'

Yami flinched away from the fire and raised his arm to protect himself from the heat. He heard his friends calling out to him. Panik just laughed at the whole thing. Of course, this was amusing to him. That was the kind of man he was. And that told Yami a lot about what his strategy would be.

Panik pointed at him. 'What's the matter, Yugi, hmm? Can't take the heat? Well, get used to it, because you're strapped in for the long haul.'

Yami heard Joey yell over, 'Turn it off, Panik!'

When the fire finally ceased, Yami pulled his arm down and straightened up. All right. Now he knew what he was dealing with. This was a man that would force panic to cloud his opponent's mind. He just had one problem.

A warm, nearly forgotten voice echoed in the back of Yami's head. _'Fear is a luxury we cannot afford. You must be strong.'_

'I can see the fear growing in your eyes, Yugi.' Panik was still pointing at him. 'I can hear you quaking in your boots. You're beginning to realise the nightmare you've stepped into. I do believe, you're beginning to panic!'

'Get a life, you psycho!' Téa yelled at Panik.

'Forget this guy, Yug,' Joey called. 'This wasn't part of the job description.'

'Yeah, no joke!' Tristan agreed. 'Come on, let's get you down from there, Yugi! What do you say?'

Yami just smirked. 'Are you finished blowing smoke, Panik?'

Shamee was smirking right along with him, as a contrary to the surprise and fear of the rest of his friends.

'It'll take much more than cheap pyrotechnics to make me lose my cool,' Yami said.

Panik, though clearly surprised, laughed. 'The last time someone had the nerve to talk to me like that, I broke them in half.'

Yami gritted his teeth and exercised his powers to turn this into a Shadow Game.

'Now, let's duel!' Panik snapped. The two of them drew their cards. Panik made the first move. 'Seeing how the blaze of my fire didn't faze you, let's turn down the lights.' He laid a card on the field. 'My Castle of Dark Illusions will turn this duel into your darkest hour, Yugi.' The Castle appeared and rose up. 'Its magic shrouds the field in a Veil of Shadows. And the Castle itself is extra fortified thanks to the field power bonus I get for playing it at night.'

'I'm not afraid of the dark, Panik,' Yami said as he watched the darkness spread.

Panik chuckled. 'You would be if you only knew the fearsome nightmares within its shade. The blanket of shadows, cast over my entire side of the field, make it impossible for you to see the creatures I summon…'

Yami's fist tightened as he watched just that happen.

'…but leaves your entire side exposed and vulnerable to my attacks. Unnerving, isn't it, Yugi, how the darkness preys on your fears? On your mind! Until you're too scared to think, too terrified to fight.' He laughed darkly. All Yami could see was the Castle of Dark Illusions.

'Don't listen, Yugi!' Mai called. 'This is exactly he threw me off my game!'

Yami nearly didn't hear Joey's response. 'Now you tell us?'

Panik went on, relentless. 'And if you think you can storm my Castle with the help of a field power bonus of your own, think again! Because just as my shadows block the light from above, they block the field power from the ground below. Only the night grants bonuses here.'

Yami stared at it. _Without any idea what's waiting for me in those shadows, I can't risk an attack._ He laid down his card. _I'll just have to play it safe for now._ 'Celtic Guardian, defence mode!'

'Not a very bright idea,' Panik said.

Yami heard the sound of the duel board registering a card but…_I can't see what monster he played!_ He narrowed his eyes.

Panik chuckled. 'Attack.' A pair of red eyes appeared in the darkness. 'Dark Grasp of Fury!' The creature moved, the darkness moving with it. Yami's Celtic Guardian was swallowed and destroyed by the black veil, without him even seeing what the monster was. 'Our first victim of the night.'

Yami gritted his teeth. Below him, he could hear his friends talking.

'That's cheap!' Joey insisted. 'How can you defend against what you can't see?'

'Yeah,' Bakura said. 'Yeah, or defeat a monster you can't find? Hm…' He was actually thinking about it.

'Anybody got a flashlight?' Tristan asked.

Panik laughed. 'Even your friends have lost hope for you.'

_I need to get his monsters out of those shadows. _Yami looked up. _But the only way I can do that is by destroying his Castle of Dark Illusions. And with its defensive points set at 2500, no card in my deck has an attack power high enough to scratch it let alone destroy it. Boy, I'm beginning to understand why they call him "Panik". The game just started and I'm already flustered._

'Play any monster card you like,' Panik said. 'The creatures within my veil of shadows will consume them all.'

Yami held up the card. 'Winged Dragon and Guardian of the Fortress in defence mode.'

Panik laughed. 'This defence manoeuvring may keep your life points safe from one monster, Yugi, but not two.' He laid another card down and another pair of eyes appeared in the shadows.

_I hate to admit it, but he's right._ Yami gritted his teeth at Yugi's statement. True, but frustrating. _Defending alone won't win this duel for me._

Panik laughed again. 'You're terrified, aren't you, Yugi? Admit it. All your courage has been devoured by shadowy fog. Yes, all that's left is a trembling little duellist, powerless to defend himself.'

Panik was obviously aware of the power of suggestion. He intimidated people, then said this kind of thing, causing it to become true. But Yami had long ago been taught not to listen to this kind of rot. _There's gotta be some way to neutralise Panik's Veil of Shadows. But it's generated by his castle of Dark Illusions and that thing's virtually impregnable. Wait a minute…I may not be able to attack Panik's Castle, but what if I attack the darkness itself._ He flipped the card. 'Guardian of the Fortress, take flight!' The Guardian roared and lifted itself up. 'Fireball attack!' The monster spat fire at the darkness. Both Panik's creatures screeched as they were exposed for a moment. 'His monsters!' Beyond that, nothing.

Panik laughed as the Guardian landed again. 'So you saw my creatures! But I doubt it gives you the foresight to see what's coming next. Dark Grasp of Fury!' His monster moved forward with the shadows again. And, once more, Yami's monster was consumed and destroyed. Yami gritted his teeth.

'Luck's out for your Guardian of the Fortress!' Panik bragged as Yami's life points dropped to 1606. 'My creatures hungrily eye your remaining life points, Yugi! And I'll see to it that they feed again quite soon. Has it sunk in yet, wimp? Standing up to a bully leaves you nowhere to go but down!'

Yami narrowed his eyes. _Down is right. My life points are way down, while Panik's haven't even been touched. His shadows have destroyed two of my best monsters while I still can't see what I'm up against. He's got me outmanoeuvred and overpowered, but I'm still gonna find a way to put that big bully in his place!_

Panik continued his taunts. 'The night has eyes, Yugi.' He laughed. 'And all of them are on you!'

_As long as Panik's Castle of Dark Illusions shrouds his side of the field with shadows, it's impossible for me to see any of his monsters. But panicking about it will only make things worse, so I gotta do my best not to let him see me sweat._

'Keep struggling, Yugi,' Panik goaded. 'Bullying's so much more fun when you resist!'

Yami had an idea. 'Tough talk, Panik, coming from someone who makes all their attacks while hiding in the safety of shadows!'

Panik sniggered and Yami had fire coming at him again. He heard Téa call out to him, 'Yugi! Look out!'

'You okay, pal?' Joey called.

Yami knew that Panik would use those flamethrowers each time he didn't like what he heard.

'You uppity little cretin!' Panik snapped. 'Perhaps you should think twice before you insult someone who can scorch you with the touch of a button, huh? You're afraid, Yugi. You're lost and alone in the dark and I'm the big, bad, bogeyman, about to leap out and give you the scare of your life!'

Yami smirked and chuckled.

'Huh?' Panik grunted. 'If you could see what I have in store for you, you wouldn't be laughing!'

'But that's why I'm laughing,' Yami said. 'Because I can see, right through you!'

'What?' Panik demanded. 'What are you talking about, you little runt?'

Yami answered. 'You are the bogeyman, Panik, scaring children into being afraid of the dark…until they realise the dark is nothing to be afraid of, like you.'

The sound of Panik drawing back was very clear.

Yami repeated the words that were echoing in the back of his head in that warm voice. 'Once a person conjures up the confidence not to be fearful of the unknown, they've disarmed the only weapon the dark has.'

'You wish it was that simple…' Panik began.

'But it is that simple!' Yami cut him off. 'I have the card to prove it.'

'What card?' Panik demanded.

Yami held up the card, but so Panik couldn't see it. 'A card that will expose you and lift up that Veil of Shadows you cower behind.'

'What's that?' Panik demanded.

'It's just a little something that'll teach you a lesson in broad daylight,' Yami said.

Shamee smirked. _**Very clever.**_

_What?_

'Hey, Mai,' Téa said. 'Why would Yugi tell Panik his strategy?'

'It's panic. Same thing happened to me.' Mai's eyes narrowed. 'You start making amateur mistakes.'

'I don't know, Mai,' Bakura said. 'He doesn't look like he's panicking.'

Instead Yami had a smirk on his face, one that Shamee recognised. It was the look he got when he knew exactly how he was going to win. Except she'd never seen it this early before. 'He's not. And he hasn't told Panik his strategy.' _**He's just making it look that way.**_

_Why…Oh! I get it. You're right. That is clever._

Yami listened to Panik laugh. 'You almost had me, there. But we both know that card's nothing but a big, fat bluff. Prove me wrong, Yugi! Go ahead! Let's see you give me my "tough lesson".'

Yami chuckled. 'Why should I show you my card after you've gone to such lengths to keep yours in the dark?'

'I think you're stalling,' Panik said.

'You don't trust me, Panik?' Yami asked. 'Believe it or not, not all duellists are lying dogs like you.'

Panik growled.

'And to prove it, I'll show you.' He raised the card again. 'After all, I wouldn't want you thinking I was some kind of liar.'

'Show me!' Panik demanded.

'You don't need to prove anything to that slime, Yugi,' Tristan called.

'Ready, Panik? Here it is.' He turned the card around. 'The Swords of Revealing Light!'

'Revealing Light?' Panik demanded.

Yami was only too happy to explain. 'The blinding magic of the Swords of Revealing Light not only stops all enemy monsters on the field from attacking for three full turns, but it bathes the entire field in a light so luminous that even your lurking shadow creatures will be exposed! Soon, Panik, the monsters in your dark empire will have nowhere to hide. But rather than play it now, I'll take a page from your book, and let you worry about when and how I'll use it – just like you do with the monsters you hide in the dark.' He smirked again. 'You're going down in five turns. Five turns, Panik.' He laid a card down. 'Then my monsters will finish you off. Curse of Dragon! Defensive Mode!' The monster appeared on the field. 'And, of course…' He took a card from his hand and laid it face-down on the duel board. 'The card that will make you see the light.' A grid-square on the field glowed. 'Your five turns start now, Panik. It's your move.'

Panik was silent for a long moment.

'What's the matter, Panik?' Yami mocked him. 'Has bullying lost its thrill?'

'I'll teach you about loss!' Panik snapped. 'Just you wait!'

Shamee shifted her gaze as she heard Téa asked, 'Hey, Mai. Why's Yugi keeping that card out if he's not going to play it yet?'

Mai looked up and hesitated. 'Uh…I hate to say it, guys, but it's not a good sign.'

'Huh?' Téa asked.

'I was able to keep it together for about this long too,' she said. 'But, after a while, Panik has a way of getting to you and making you slip up.'

Shamee looked at them. _**Am I seriously the only one who can tell just by looking?**_

_You've known him way too long._

'Not my pal,' Joey said. 'He knows what he's doing.'

'I sure hope so,' Bakura said.

'He does,' Tristan insisted.

'Listen, I know Yugi's good,' Mai said. 'But fighting Panik isn't about being good. It's about keeping a level head while you're lost in the dark or being attacked by fire. Yugi's gonna need guts to win this duel, not skill.'

'Don't worry. He's a stolid one.' Shamee smiled. 'He's been taught his whole life _not_ to sweat.'

'You got that right,' said Tristan.

'Yes, but he did just leave his best card out, fully vulnerable,' Bakura said. 'You don't make those kinds of mistakes unless you're nervous. And Panik's not one to let a mistake like that go unpunished.'

'True,' Shamee said. 'But who said Yugi made a mistake?'

They all looked at her.

'Make your move, Panik,' Yami said.

Panik laughed. 'I must say, it was quite a daring move to illuminate me with the presence of that card, little Yugi. But it was a critical mistake to leave it on the field completely exposed!'

_**As I thought.**_

'If you though idle cards were safe from attack, you were dead wrong!' The sound of a card being activated. 'Reaper of the Cards!'

Yami's eyes narrowed. 'The Reaper?' He had to make this bluff work.

The Reaper began howling. 'When the Reaper is summoned, all magic cards hear the ghostly toll of doom!' Panik howled. 'He'll be sending your Revealing Card to the discard graveyard, leaving you defenceless. Reaper, attack!' The monster charged at the hidden card.

'Yugi!' Joey and Téa called out to him.

'But that card was Yugi's only chance!' Mai cried.

Well, he'd fooled just about everyone then. Yami knew Shamee too well to believe he'd fooled her. And vice versa. She knew he wasn't one to lose his cool under any circumstances.

The Reaper rushed forward and brought its scythe down. Panik crowed again. 'Your fate belongs to me now, Yugi! Call of the Graveyard!'

The Reaper froze. Nothing happened. Yami saw, out of the corner of his eye, Shamee smirking. Mai gasped.

Panik let him know he'd noticed when he stopped chuckling. 'Huh? What's going on? It can't finish its attack!'

Yami laughed.

'It should have destroyed your card!' Panik insisted. 'The Swords of Revealing Light.'

'I said my Swords of Revealing Light was the card that would illuminate your monsters,' Yami said. 'I never said it was the one I placed on the field. You just assumed that.'

'Seriously?' Shamee barked out a laugh. 'You thought he was that stupid?'

'But if that's not…'

Yami interrupted Panik. 'The card I placed on the field was a different card.' He picked up his down card and displayed the face. 'The Spell-Binding Circle! A trap card.'

'A trap…card…?' Panik's voice clearly showed his shock.

'Yes, a trap card that snares your Reaper, stopping him dead in his tracks, encircling him in a magical prison,' Yami said as just that happened. 'In Duel Monsters, one must be wary of the Reaper of the Cards and its ability to send magic cards to the discard pile. I figured that you probably had one stalking around in your deck somewhere. But now that he's frozen, unable to damage my deck, I'm free to lay whatever magic cards I want on the field.'

'Great thinking!' Téa called.

'Way to put one over on him, Yug!' Joey yelled.

'How dare you!' Panik yelled. 'You fooled me!'

Yami just smiled cockily. 'You fooled yourself, Panik. And wasted quite a powerful card too. But now that the coast is clear, I'll really lay my Swords of Revealing Light!' He set it down. 'And a second magic card…both face-down.' He set that down too, smirking the whole time.

'Face-down?' Panik demanded. 'Why?'

Yami said nothing.

'So what?' Panik said. 'You captured my Reaper, but he's only one of my powerful monsters. The ones that remain will destroy you!'


	15. Winning Through Intimidation

DISCLAIMER: If you recognise it from somewhere else, it isn't mine.

* * *

**Winning Through Intimidation**

'Whoa!' Joey exclaimed. 'Smooth move! Yugi captures one of Panik's most powerful monsters and now he's got two magic cards on the table to boot!'

'So what?' Panik demanded. 'You captured my Reaper, but he's only one of my powerful monsters.'

Yami smirked. 'Getting nervous, Panik?' He waited for the growl. 'I may have yet to launch an effective attack against you and your night creatures but that will all change very soon.'

Shamee's eyes narrowed. It began to occur to her. She mentally went over all of the cards she'd seen in that deck.

'Ridiculous!' Panik insisted. 'What are you talking about?'

'You know what I'm talking about,' Yami said. 'I made you a promise that in five turns I would teach you a lesson that you would never forget and I intend to make good.' He raised his hand. 'You only have four turns left, Panik. Four more turns before I drag you from your shadows and show you up for the bully that you truly are.'

'You dolt, have you forgotten whom you face here?' Panik slammed his fist down and fine leapt up. 'I am Panik, the Eliminator!'

Yami didn't even flinch, not that Shamee expected him to. Instead, he kept smirking. 'Is that supposed to scare me or are you running scared?'

Yami's plan was working perfectly. 'You can't stall forever. Sooner or later, you'll have to make your move.' Even though the darkness, he could see Panik was losing it.

'Silence.' His voice showed just how shaken he was. But the sound he made told Yami that he'd drawn something he'd thought to be useful.

Yami scowled.

Panik laughed. 'This beast will win the entire match for me! King of Yami Makai!' The sound of the card being played. 'But don't take my word for it.' A growl was heard in the shadows. 'Powered up by my field power bonus that all my monsters get from the night, my King of Yami Makai is far more powerful that you pitiful creature!'

'Oh, no!' Joey cried.

'King of Yami Makai, destroy his Curse of Dragon!' Panik hollered. The beast's attacked crackled with electricity. 'Now, my King of Yami Makai attack!'

Yami smirked. _**Good.**_

'Electro-Shock attack!' Panik ordered and the monster roared. The attack shot out of the darkness and headed…'What? It's veering away!' It slammed right into the trapped Reaper. 'Instead of destroying Yugi's Dragon, it's attacking my Reaper of the Cards!' The Reaper screamed as it was electrocuted, then shattered.

Yami chuckled. 'Your Reaper of the Cards is vanquished!'

'All right!' Joey cheered.

Téa clapped her hands together. 'Panik messed up!'

'No, my life points!' Panik's life points dropped down to 494. 'Curse you and your Spell-Binding Circle! Its light drew in my energy blast and destroyed my precious monster!'

'They don't do well when they dare step out of the darkness,' Yami remarked. He reached down. 'Now, let's bring all your monsters into the light!'

Panik growled.

'I dispel all your darkness, with the Swords of Revealing Light!' Yami flipped the card over and the holographic projectors lit up brightly. So much so in fact that all but Yami and Shamee had to cover their eyes to protect their sight.

'Stop!' Panik cried as the Swords took form. 'Stop it! I can't stand the light!'

'Your monsters are revealed!' Yami stated as soon as the card was fully active.

'Ha!' Tristan cheered. 'No one keeps Yugi in the dark!'

'Even Panik's cards are revealed now!' And Téa was right. The black that had been obscuring everything vanished.

'No more hiding, Panik,' Yami said. 'Your darkness will shield you no longer.' He raised his hand once more. 'Three turns left and then you're finished.' He let him growl for a moment before continuing. 'I didn't use the Swords just to illuminate your monsters. It also causes all your monsters on the field to be frozen for three turns, starting right now. That means you can't make any attack while I implement my strategy.'

Panik's eye twitched. He stood there and glared at him.

'You're stalling Panik,' Yami said. 'Afraid to draw your next card?'

Panik gritted his teeth and reached for his deck. Even from the distance, Yami saw him shake in anger before he drew the card. Panik's eyes widened and then he chuckled. 'And this is the card to do it!' He was obviously continuing on from whatever he'd been thinking. 'Yugi, you can forget your foolish delusion of defeating me in just three turns! I've drawn a Chaos Shield card!'

Yami's eyes narrowed. That wasn't good. 'Oh, no. That affects all the monsters on the field. It puts all of them in defence mode and raises their defence points!'

'You're thinking too small, you fool!' Panik cried as he played it. 'Or don't you realise that I can combine my Chaos Shield with my Castle of Dark Illusions?'

'This is bad!' Mai exclaimed.

Panik explained as they watched the shield take form. 'With this combination, I can project a defensive shield over my entire area!'

That was the grand play?

Panik sneered. 'As long as the Chaos Shield is in place, your monsters can't touch me. Do you still think you can defeat me in three turns, you impudent shrimp? Admit defeat now! You can see how the Shield raises the defence points of my monsters.'

_He's right._ In fact, the important one had gone up to 3200._ That shield protects against any possible attacks, even from my strongest monsters._

Panik laughed.

Mai's muscles tensed as she watched this. May as well admit the truth. 'I hate to say it, but Yugi really doesn't stand a chance. Breaking duellists is what Panik does for a living. Panik is brutal, ruthless, everything the ultimate duellist needs to be.'

Their friend who she hadn't seen before spoke. 'Mai, you've become so cynical about Duel Monsters. And you don't understand Yugi at all, really. There's much more to him than meets the eye.'

Sharee nodded.

'Joey, Yugi can win this right?' Tristan asked.

'Man, I wish I could tell you,' Joey said. 'But after the way Panik beat Mai, I got no idea what Yugi's chances are.'

'If he has the card in his deck that I think he does, he will,' Sharee said.

They all turned to look at her again. Sharee, Mai noticed, always seemed to be on the same wavelength as Yugi when he was duelling. Half of his moves, she could predict quite accurately. She'd even known that he hadn't actually laid down his Swords of Revealing Light when everyone else assumed he had.

_I wonder how a duel between the two of them would go._

'What do you mean?' Téa asked.

Sharee smirked. 'I actually wouldn't be surprised if he had it in his hand.' The look fell from her face. 'I just hope what he puts on it is powerful enough.'

Mai wondered which monster Sharee was talking about.

'Give up!' Panik barked. 'Admit defeat! I'm going to crack you like an egg!'

Yami chuckled. 'You'd like me to crack, wouldn't you, Panik? Because it's worked for you before: winning through intimidation, not through skill.'

'You mock my skill?' Panik demanded. 'My skill is what's defeating you!'

No, it wasn't. 'Don't be so sure.'

'What do you mean by that?' Panik asked.

Yami smirked. 'You think you're winning, that your tactics are taking me by surprise. But I saw your strategy the minute I saw what kind of man you are.'

'You're talking nonsense,' Panik insisted.

'I knew you would use Chaos Shield,' Yami said. 'Cowardly bullies like you always try to hide behind something.'

'Shut up!' Panik yelled. 'I'm in no way a coward and I never try to hide behind anything!'

'Your whole strategy is nothing but hiding and cowering,' Yami said calmly.

Panik drew back, his entire body now shaking in anger. Yami waited patiently.

'You dare to call me a coward?' Panik demanded as he worked the switches. 'Nobody talks to me that way! I am Panik, the Eliminator!' He brought his fist down.

Yami calmly leaned back as the two shots of fire went past him. He watched Panik pant lividly.

'Are you finished?' Yami snapped. 'Or are you going to continue to hide behind your blustering embattlements, like a big coward?'

Panik growled louder than he had before.

'The truth hurts, doesn't it, Panik?' Yami asked. 'Facing up to your true self is usually more than bullies like you can bear, so you hide in the shadows.'

'You will taunt me no longer!' Panik snarled.

'Yugi, he's dangerous!' Téa called. 'You've just gotta stop stirring him up!'

'Don't interfere,' Mai told her. Yami used his Millennium Puzzle to hear the rest of that. 'Yugi's just using Panik's own tactics against him. It's psych-out warfare.'

'I will burn you to a cinder!' Panik snapped.

'That would prove you're a coward,' Yami said. 'If you're not afraid then you should stop hiding and play this game with honour. Or I will rip your fearsome façade away!'

'You bluff!' Panik insisted.

'There's only one way you'll know for sure,' Yami responded. 'Play out this game. After all, we'll know in two turns.' He raised his hand. 'Can you last? Just two turns? Do you have the courage?'

'Do I have the courage?' Panik demanded. 'Panik fears no duellist! I will crush your spirit and wipe out your life points!'

'And now, it's my turn.' Yami drew and smirked. 'And my card is Gaia, the Fierce Knight!'

Gaia appeared on the field and the horse nickered.

'Idiot!' yelled Panik. 'Do you really think a monster with attack power that weak can break through my Chaos Shield?'

'Maybe not by himself, but I also have a magic card. Read it and weep.' Yami flipped the card up.

'A Polymerisation card?' Panik demanded.

'And with this card, I combine them to create Gaia, the Dragon Champion!' Yami activated the cards and the two beasts came together to form the monster he'd just named. 'Now my combo creature's attack power is raised to 2600.'

'The Dragon Champion?' Panik demanded.

'My turn's over,' Yami said. 'But you're finished as well.'

Panik stared at him and narrowed his eyes. He gritted his teeth and drew. Once he saw the card in his hand, he grinned. 'Ah! Perfect!'

'Hm?' Yami narrowed his eyes. What had Panik drawn now?

'Metal Guardian in defence mode!' Panik laid the card down and the monster appeared, but it also moved. 'He will further shield my monsters and the field power bonus raises his defence power to 2795. With him on guard, any attack against my monsters is totally impossible.'

Yami shut his eyes and sneered. 'It figures. You're cowering again.'

'Insolent dog!' Panik snapped.

'Your strategy's nothing but putting up defences,' Yami said. 'You're showing how weak you are.'

'Silence!' Panik yelled. 'In the next turn, the Swords of Light will be extinguished! Then I'll hit you with everything at once!'

'It'll be too late,' Yami announced. 'I've already led you deep into my trap.'

'What?' Panik drew back.

'The stronger you make your defences, the more you lock yourself into defeat,' Yami stated.

'That's a joke!' Panik insisted. 'You're nothing but talk!'

'The time for talk is over.' Yami held up one finger. 'That was your last turn.' He pulled a card from his hand and held it up for his opponent to see. 'The end is now! Catapult Turtle!'

'Yes!' Shamee yelled as the Dragon Champion lifted up and the Turtle appeared on the field.

'Slow and steady wins the duel, Panik,' Yami stated. 'For I can use the Catapult Turtle to launch Gaia, the Dragon Champion and shatter your defences.'

Panik smirked before he registered it and he drew back with an alarmed cry.

'The Catapult Turtle raises Gaia, the Dragon Champion's attack power all the way up to 3200,' Yami said as just that happened and the Turtle took aim. 'You weren't expecting that, were you?'

'My monster's defence power is still much too strong for you!' Panik lifted his hand to his face and grinned widely. 'Protected as they are by the Chaos Shield you can't touch them. You can only watch helplessly as they prepare to assault you next turn!' He laughed.

'Who said anything about attacking your monsters? What I'm attacking is…' Yami pointed. '…the Castle!'

'You fool!' Panik sneered. 'My Castle is still unassailable! Its walls are still invincible to any of you attacks, so I won't take any damage at all!'

'We'll see about that.' Yami extended his hand. 'Turtle, Catapult Launch my Dragon Champion!' The Catapult launched and the Dragon Champion shot forward, heading right for the Castle at such a high speed it looked like a very sharp blast of light.

The impact caused an explosion. Dust covered the area quickly and thickly. Light exploded out from the point of impact. Again, it was so bright that only Yami and Shamee could stand to look at it. Across the arena, Panik cried out. The light faded. Yami barely even flinched as his life points dropped down to 300.

'Whoa!' Tristan cried. 'Yugi flushed a lotta points with that manoeuvre!'

'He sacrificed his Dragon Champion!' Joey exclaimed.

'That's an awfully big loss both in monsters and life points,' Bakura said.

'Right!' Joey agreed. 'And if this attack doesn't bring down that Castle, the next turn Panik will wipe out the rest of Yugi's life points.'

'Well, I hope this works,' Bakura said.

'It has to work!' Joey insisted.

'I can't see a thing!' Téa called. 'Wait…'

Yami watched the smoke clear and the floatation ring crack and fall off. The Castle stayed where it was. Yami kept his face composed.

'No, it's still floating!' Téa cried. 'The Castle survived!'

Shamee looked directly at her and demanded. 'Did you miss Newton's Law of Gravity?'

Panik laughed. 'Fool! For all your threats, my Castle is unharmed. Your worthless attack simply knocked its flotation ring off! And now that your attack has failed, I'll eliminate you once and for all!' He laughed some more and Yami let him go. 'It's been five turns and I'm still standing, Yugi. My monsters are still contained and protected within the Chaos Shield. When this turn is over, the paralysing effects of your Swords of Revealing Light will vanish. Then on my turn I'll attack with all of my monsters and wipe you out forever!'

Yami smirked. 'There is no next turn for you,' Yami said. 'This duel has already ended.'

'It's not over,' Panik insisted.

Yami decided to explain Shamee's last comment to all present. 'Doesn't it seem strange to you that a Castle that has lost its floatation ring is somehow still floating?' He waited for the growl of confusion. 'What if the Swords of Revealing Light had locked in place not only your monsters, but your Castle as well? Then what would happen next?'

Understanding entered Panik's eyes and he raised his head. 'It…can't be!'

Yami pointed at him. 'Right now the only thing holding up your Castle are the Swords of Revealing Light. And when this turn ends, each and every Sword will vanish.'

'But…that means…!'

'It's over! And now your world's about to come tumbling down.'

Panik screamed. 'No! No one defeats Panik!'

Yami raised his fist, thumb raise upwards. 'My turn…' He turned in downwards. '…is over.'

The Swords faded and vanished. With that, the Castle of Dark Illusions began to slide downwards. Panik's monsters rushed forward and pushed against the inside of the Chaos Shield. Yami really did feel sorry for the creatures, but he knew they weren't really dying.

'Run, monsters! Get out of the way!' Well, at least Panik cared about them somewhat.

'It's no good.' Yami raised his hand. 'The Chaos Shield is keeping them from running anywhere! You've trapped them all inside.'

All the monsters screamed as they were crushed, all except for the Metal Guardian in front. Dust was kicked up as the Castle landed and crumbled, covering everything. Yami watched Panik's life points drop to zero.

'He won!' Téa cheered.

'And Panik's not taking it well!' Joey pumped his fist into the air.

'I'll say!' Tristan called. 'Panik's having a panic attack!'

And he wasn't wrong either. Panik was leaned over his duel board, shaking in rage. 'Nobody…beats Panik. Nobody!' He looked up. The rage in his eyes built and built. Yami was expecting to be attacked by an inferno.

Panik raised his clenched fist above his head. 'I may not have defeated you, Yugi!' he screamed. 'But I can still eliminate you!' He brought the fist down. There was a loud crash.

'Back!' Shamee barked, grabbing Mai and Téa and pulling them away from the flames that were quickly engulfing the entire arena.

'Yugi!' Tristan called.

'He's trapped by the fire!' Joey yelled. 'And he can't escape.' The shackles were still around his ankles.

'We'll see who's the coward now!' Panik crowed as more flamethrowers came out of the front of his duelling platform. 'Fire!'

The flames shot right at him but Yami used the power of his Millennium Puzzle. The Millennium Eye glowed on his forehead and a force-field was created around him. As soon as they came close to him, the flames fanned out, leaving him untouched.

'Yugi's going to be fried to a crisp!' Téa called. 'Yugi!'

'Jump out of the way!' yelled Bakura.

The flames were still swimming around them when Panik noticed. 'You…survived…How can this be? It's impossible.'

No. 'My Millennium Puzzle protects me from your cowardly assault.' He watched Panik begin to back away, only stopping when he ran into the safety bar. Yami went on. 'But nothing will protect you from…' He extended his hand and exercised his shadow powers. '…oblivion!'

Panik cried out as he fell through the flames and to the ground below, his mind sent to the Shadow Realm and his body injured, trapped in a permanent coma.

When Yami came down, Shamee watched in amusement. Mostly at how Joey taught Mai a lesson in his own way. Learn to suck up your pride and accept help. It wasn't just an act of friendship either.

Shamee had felt it growing in his heart and this act of his, helping her see herself twice, had planted the seeds in hers.

'I'm such a sensitive guy!' Joey stated, stretching up high.

Tristan chuckled doubtfully as they all started walking away. 'Yeah. When you're not being a pain.'

'Which is most of the time,' Téa added, causing most of them to start laughing. Yami and Shamee just had amused smirks on their faces, though.

'Ah!' Joey boasted. 'My adoring fans!'

'Yugi!' Mai called. 'Wait.'

Yami and Shamee both stopped and turned around first.

'I'll repay you for what you did today,' she said. 'You're the one who won these so, far as I'm concerned, I still owe you.' She looked down at them. 'More…than I've ever owed anyone.' She looked back up at him. 'And when we finally do face each other in a duel, it'll be an honourable one!'

'Sounds good,' Téa said.

'Yes,' Yami said. 'An honourable one. That's a duel I'd look forward to, Mai.'


End file.
